Our June, 2010 newsletter will be available online at Compass Chiropractic Newsletters. If needed, please use the links in the footer to opt out or change your account.
Compass Chiropractic June, 2010 E-Newsletter
Compass Chiropractic Open House and Silent Auction
Thank you to all who contributed to our open house and silent auction for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Generous donations to win silent auction items raised more than $1,200 for Dr. Krohse’s Team in Training Fund. We’ll continue to raise money for this cause through the end of June as detailed below.
Introducing Abbey Musch
Rehab Assistant
Background: I was born in Hershey, PA and I am the baby of 3 girls in my family. I grew up in Manhattan, KS aka “The Little Apple.” After 16 years in Manhattan I didn’t go too far from home for college in Springfield, MO at Drury University. Drury is a small liberal arts school and I was a member of the swimming and diving team. The day following graduation I moved here to Iowa, and now here I am as a new member of the Compass Chiropractic family.
Favorite Aspects of Working at Compass Chiropractic: I really enjoy the fact that Compass Chiropractic is so involved with the community. When applying for jobs, I was really drawn to the practice because they are involved with “Team in Training” as well as several local and national community organizations. Also, I really love that we are able to go the Valley Junction farmer’s market every week because I enjoy meeting new people. After working here for a couple of days I have really enjoyed meeting the patients, as everyone has been extremely welcoming and very nice!
What I enjoy outside of work: Outside of work I like to stay active—whether it’s by swimming, biking or even a simple long walk. I am currently trying to master disc golf, but it has been a struggle because the disc always seems to go in the opposite direction! I also really love to spend time with my family and friends whenever I can.
How I give back to the community: When I was at Drury my team gave back to the community by being members of “Champions Committed to Kids.” This organization matches children with medical illnesses with sport teams that they wished to be a part of. We had an 8 year old honorary teammate on our team that had Muscular Dystrophy and he absolutely loved to swim. Members of the team were to do different activities with this child throughout the week, and in the fall he will get to come to the swim meets and sit with the team. It is an amazing organization, and it made me realize that my ability to move my body and engage in physical activities should never be taken for granted.
Words to live by: Dream, hope, love, and smile—it’s contagious!
Favorite local Restaurant: Granite City—Amazing desserts! I have only been to a few restaurants since I have been here, so if you have favorites let me know!
Something most patients don’t know about me: I am very scared of spiders!
My experience with chiropractic: I have been to a chiropractor only a few times before, and it was always very helpful. I also have two good friends that just graduated from Chiropractic school and they love their jobs and the patients that they are working with.
Spotlight on Team Compass Chiropractic Athlete Dr. Louis DeWild
Sport: Triathlon & Mountain Biking
Other Sponsors: Rasmussen Bike Shop, Fitness Sports
Day Job: Anesthesiologist
"As an avid triathlete, cyclist, and runner who likes to compete, I had sought out a practitioner to help me with my poor flexibility. I had even considered going to a clinic in Phoenix that specializes in flexibility. Then I heard about Dr. Krohse and his ART therapy. I am very happy with how he has helped me with my neck and upper back flexibility. This is critical when riding in the aero position--just in time for my first Ironman in June. Thanks Dr. Krohse."
Connie recommends:
A Book – How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Who would ever think a book written in 1936 could still be so right on today? When I first started at Compass Chiropractic, Dr. Krohse asked me if I would be interested in reading How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I don’t normally read self help books but do usually take pleasure in them when I do. As soon as I started reading it I enjoyed it very much. It talks about ways to really understand how other people think and it makes so much sense to apply it in real life. I started thinking about my life and my friends and work relationships and know that I can use the information in this book to make my life better in so many ways. I also kept thinking of my children. They are all young adults now and this book is perfect for them to read to help them with the next phase in their lives as they start and build new careers and relationships. Now the big trick is to get them to read it. They will all be getting the book in their stockings this year at Christmas.
One of the tips I found most interesting was just the simple way to listen to people when you are in a conversation with them and show them with your actions that you are interested in what they have to say. Something as simple as to smile and to genuinely care about what they have to say makes the other person feel important. That is always a win-win situation.
I highly recommend that anyone wanting just some quick, simple advice on how to deal with people in all aspects of your life read this book. It is fun also to know that it was originally written in 1936 and yet still pertains to life today. You will be glad that you did read it. I am glad Dr. Krohse suggested that I read it and will probably read it again in a few years to just freshen up on the great ways to communicate with people.
Dr. Krohse recommends:
Learning a Lesson on Ergonomics from Long-Distance Cycling – Shermer’s Neck
Our most numerous patient groups are athletes and office workers. Lately I’ve been working with a number of athletes preparing for Ironman triathlons (112 mile bike ride). I’ve been struck by the fact that the health conditions the cyclists deal with are remarkably similar to the conditions experienced by frequent computer users. Both develop pain and tension at the base of their necks and into the upper back/shoulders as well as upper neck issues which can cause headaches. It reminded me of a condition called Shermer’s Neck, which I learned about from friends who had completed the Race Across Oregon and been unfortunate enough to experience it.
Cyclists who spend many continuous hours in the dropped or aero bar position are prone to Shermer’s Neck. When this condition comes on the cyclist begins to experience weakness and pain in their neck. Eventually neck muscle fatigue and excruciating pain will cause the rider’s neck muscles to give out and the head to drop, not a good thing when you’re 300 miles into a race such as RAO or the Race Across America! To combat this condition, creative and resourceful cyclists have developed a number of methods to take the strain off of their fatigued neck muscles. Some of these include attaching a bungee cord from the back of the helmet to the seat post, neck harnesses as pictured, and even attaching mirrors on the downtube enabling the cyclist to see forward periscope-style while the head is totally dropped!
Cyclists’ body position is very similar to the poor seated-posture position common throughout our society. Why do the muscles give out in this position? Your head weighs about 8-10 pounds and with proper posture would be balanced directly above your shoulders. Muscles on the back of the neck are responsible for keeping the head from falling forward. Prior to computers, driving, and factory work this was a light-duty job for these muscles. However when the head moves forward the tension on the muscles increases exponentially. I’m reminded of one of my dad’s more creative and educational punishments when I got mouthy during my early teen years. He had me hold a large dictionary or concordance straight out in front of me with straight arms for a set amount of time. It was amazing how quickly the five pound book became intolerably heavy when it was two feet out in front of my shoulders. Obviously when I brought it back against my chest the pain diminished instantly. Try this example yourself (or test it out the next time the kids act up).
Additionally, one needs to consider the spinal joints to fully understand why computer posture can be so detrimental. There are 132 joints in the spine and they are located on the back of the spine. When a person assumes the computer posture, the upper neck is extended back almost as much as possible. The lower neck and upper back are bent forward almost as much as possible. In both areas, the spinal joints are nearly at their end range of motion. Think of a time that you fell asleep on a couch with your head cranked as far to the side as possible. This is just a slightly more extreme example of spending a few hours with spinal joints at end range. When you woke you most likely had difficulty moving your neck and felt sharp pain until things loosened up. That sharper pain was joint pain. Every day that you spend 8-12 hours sitting in front of a computer or driving puts similar stress into the spinal joints at the top and bottom of the neck and into the upper back. This stress adds up and can cause these joints to become dysfunctional and painful. Additionally, the inflammation in the area can affect the nerves coming out of the spine right next to the joints leading to problems such as shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and headaches.
While riding in this posture is essential for distance cycling, this posture is totally avoidable for office workers and extended drivers! Please take a lesson from distance cycling and follow these step by step instructions to clean up your posture while working at a desk or driving.
1. Look around at the posture of the seniors in your life. It will become very clear that most don’t have a problem with their head being too far back. Now consider that people today often spend much more time at a desk or slouched on a couch using a laptop than they did. When you are 90 what would you like to look like?
2. Have a friend take a side-view picture of you standing and sitting at a computer. Pretty attractive, eh? Proper posture would be for the tip of your shoulder to be in line with the hole in your ear. If your shoulders have rounded forward from excessive desk work (a related common problem) you should take that into account. Be motivated by vanity as well as pain!
3. Go through OSHA’s desk setup checklist. Don’t be passive if you don’t have the right supplies available to improve your office setup. Your employer or HR manager should be willing to provide you with the right office setup to avoid work injuries.
4. Read Treat Your Own Neck by Robin McKenzie. Reading this book was the single biggest factor in improving my patient outcomes for neck pain and headaches in 2009. We have the book available for purchase at our office.
5. Get a McKenzie Lumbar Roll. We see so many patients who are sitting all day on $500 chairs and still have neck and upper back problems because they sit with terrible posture. This $25 simple support is available at Compass Chiropractic and helps you stay motivated to sit properly. The McKenzie Lumbar Roll forces you to either sit with better posture or be very intentional about sitting improperly. We hope you’ll consistently choose the first.
6. Take microbreaks! You should get up and move around at least once per hour but preferably even more frequently than that. I have had multiple patients download and install Scirocco's Take a Break for free and have their neck and back pain decrease dramatically as a result of using it consistently.
7. Schedule a visit with our office to be evaluated. We always start with a thorough examination and love to help people already in pain as well as those who are actively working to avoid future problems. Recently a young office worker came in who wasn’t experiencing any pain. His wife noticed a postural issue developing and sent him in to us for evaluation. It was a refreshing change for me to get to give him a plan to avoid problems before they developed. If dysfunction is present, we will use chiropractic adjustments as needed to restore normal motion into dysfunctional spinal joints. Active Release Techniques may be used to loosen up tight neck and upper back muscles or break up areas of scar tissue.
8. Learn preventive exercises and stretches. The third major component of our care is rehab with a goal of a more rapid return to normal function as well as long term stability. Abbey, our new rehab assistant, is available to take you through our recommended postural maintenance exercises.
9. If these strategies don’t work I suppose you could take a tip from the cyclists and try the bungee cord or harness method at work or while driving. Don’t blame me when your coworkers give you wedgies and throw bananas at you during lunch break.
10. Set your kids straight. Don’t let your kids play video games in the “criss-cross applesauce” position. In my opinion, they’d be much better off posturally with one of those cool video game rocking chairs. Share with your kids that your neck pain and headaches are because you spent too much time at the computer sitting improperly and point out people with poor posture to them (discreetly).
Dr. Krohse also Recommends:
An Eclectic Workout Playlist to Keep You Moving
This one takes a bit to build but just hold your horses because when it finally lets loose you will be running on air and singing along!
Camouflage – Youngblood Brass Band Youtube iTunes
Best New Orleans Style Jazz Band ever and most fun concerts I've ever been to. Too bad Europe stole them. They only seem to tour over there anymore.
Camouflage – Youngblood Brass Band Youtube iTunes
Best New Orleans Style Jazz Band ever and most fun concerts I've ever been to. Too bad Europe stole them. They only seem to tour over there anymore.
This one is a bit slower but perfect for when you're in the zone or maybe for a sunrise run.
Dark Blue – Jack’s Mannequin Youtube iTunes
The lead singer of this band battled and won the fight against leukemia. Read the synopsis of what happened at the Dear Jack Documentary site. Definitely inspiring for me to be a part of the Team in Training and this song is great to run with.
Dark Blue – Jack’s Mannequin Youtube iTunes
The lead singer of this band battled and won the fight against leukemia. Read the synopsis of what happened at the Dear Jack Documentary site. Definitely inspiring for me to be a part of the Team in Training and this song is great to run with.
Fibromyalgia is a common condition characterized by widespread pain in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Some other problems commonly linked with fibromyalgia include fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep problems, headaches, numbness in hands and feet, depression, and anxiety. Fibromyalgia can develop on its own, or secondary to other musculoskeletal conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, or systemic lupus. Diagnosis of fibromyalgia requires a history of at least three months of widespread pain, and pain and tenderness in a least 11 of 18 tender-point sites. These tender-point sites include fibrous tissue or muscles of the Neck, Shoulders, Chest, Rib Cage, Lower Back, Thighs, Knees, Arms (elbows) and Buttocks. The overwhelming characteristic of fibromyalgia is long-standing, body-wide pain with defined tender points. Tender points are distinct from trigger points seen in other pain syndromes. (Unlike tender points, trigger points can occur in isolation and represent a source of radiating pain, even in the absence of direct pressure.) Fibromyalgia pain can mimic the pain experienced by people with various types of arthritis. The soft-tissue pain of fibromyalgia is described as deep-aching, radiating, gnawing, shooting or burning, and ranges from mild to severe. Fibromyalgia sufferes tend to waken with body aches and stiffness.
We help patients manage fibromyalgia symptoms with chiropractic care, Active Release Techniques problem-focused muscle work, & rehabilitative exercises and stretches. To see if our care may be able to help you call 515.309.1217 to schedule a new patient visit or complimentary consultation.
Team in Training Fundraiser
Team in Training Fundraiser
On Sunday, June 13 Dr. Krohse will compete in the Hy-Vee Triathlon as a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. A goal has been set to raise at least $3,000 to go toward the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Any new patient who donates $50 or more to the Team In Training fund will receive a complementary first visit (exam, any needed spinal X-rays, and table massage up to $300 value).
Call (515) 309-1217 to schedule an appointment!
Visit Dr. Krohse’s Team in Training Fundraising website to contribute online!
Calendar
Thursdays from 4-8 PM - Valley Junction Farmer's Market spinal health checks and consultations by the General Store Eatery. Free Compass Chiropractic tattoos will be available for the young and young at heart!
1st Tues each Month – Kid's Day – Children under 13 receive ANY needed services (exams, adjustments, ART) at no charge
2nd Tues each Month – Athletes Day – Athletes any age bring a team picture or action picture and receive 1st day services (exam and any needed X-rays) at no charge
Athlete: Jed Gammell
A condition involving pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck, usually associated with muscle tightness in these areas.
A song to forward to all the people who have to go to work inside on beautiful spring days
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