Empower, Engage, Act – Guide

Find out how to empower, engage and act towards improving the quality of your overall health with chiropractic care and techniques. 

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Anyone who has heard the word “stress” can tell you that it is incredibly common. A recent survey revealed that nearly 80 percent of Americans experience stress, with 44 percent encountering it frequently in their daily lives. While stress is a normal part of life, it can negatively impact your relationships, your career, and even your physical well-being if it becomes chronic. But here is some good news – you can take control of your stress level with chiropractic care before it takes control of you.

What Exactly is Stress and How is it Identified?

Simply put, stress is the body’s response to pressure from certain events or situations, and can be triggered by any number of factors including personal relationship issues, financial worries, career troubles, or health concerns. 

While stress can generate a number of reactions, physical manifestations are overwhelmingly common, and knowing the signs is one of the most crucial steps in successful stress management. A study by the American Institute of Stress revealed that 77 percent of people who identify as being stressed reported physical symptoms such as:

• Chronic pain
• Muscle tension
• Headaches
• Digestive issues
• Elevated blood pressure
• Disturbed sleep cycle
• Chest pain
• Rapid heartbeat

How Chiropractic Care Helps

Chiropractic treatment can interrupt the cycle of stress, tension, and pain by treating the cause of pain as well as activating the parasympathetic system, which calms the “fight or flight” reaction that commonly occurs during stressful situations. Research suggests that receiving regular chiropractic adjustments and muscle therapy such as myofascial release can have a number of benefits that may help your body fight against prolonged chronic stress, including:   

• Easing muscle tension
• Reducing pain
• Soothing irritated nerves
• Improving sleep

You Play a Role Too

You can manage your stress in several ways that are not only healthy, but also provide an excellent complement to your chiropractic care. These include:

• Having a healthy diet rich in healthy fats (avocado, nuts, and seeds), antioxidants (dark berries and leafy greens), and omega-3 fatty acids (fish)
• Exercising for 30 minutes three days per week
• Relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation
• Getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night
• Maintaining personal connections and a strong, healthy support system to keep you encouraged and motivated

As an additional benefit, these changes are easy to implement and can be done right in your home so you can get on the path to stress reduction today.

Anyone who has had back pain knows it can be disruptive, especially since it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. It is also the second leading cause for doctor visits behind only upper-respiratory infections and can become chronic or even debilitating without the right treatment. MyoCore takes these facts and more into consideration through integrated care, a unique approach that involves frequent close coordination between chiropractors, physicians and other medical professionals to provide patients with a high level of care that addresses pain at the source.

What is Integrated Care?

Many other medical disciplines employ cooperation between any number of doctors, nurses and other healthcare specialists in order to determine the root cause of a patient’s condition and formulate a treatment plan that optimizes the chances for a successful outcome. Chiropractic care is no different, as it requires that same level of coordination to properly treat pain. And that is one of the core principles of MyoCore’s integrated care model.

At MyoCore, our integrated care model refers to the collaboration between our chiropractors, and physicians or other healthcare providers who work together to design personalized treatment plans that meet your specific needs. If you’re having musculoskeletal pain that can be addressed without an invasive procedure, your physician may refer you to a MyoCore chiropractor.  Similarly, if your condition isn’t within the scope of chiropractic care, MyoCore chiropractors will refer you to the proper physician or other healthcare provider to get the treatment you need.    

When combined with evidence-based care and following best-in-class protocols, integrated care provides therapeutically effective treatment and patient support dedicated to achieving satisfaction.

How Can You Benefit From Integrated Care?

When your physician and chiropractor work together, you aren’t just getting drug-free treatment for your pain. You’re benefitting from a comprehensive and conservative approach that addresses your complete needs and goals as a patient.  That’s why integrated care can produce results that may equal or even surpass those of physiotherapy, chiropractic, or drug therapy alone.

And the best part?  Everything is designed for you right there in the hospital so you can get started on your journey toward better function and reduced pain right away.

Find out more about how chiropractic care can help you live a healthier lifestyle so you can be better prepared for cold and flu season with this infographic.

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We’re all spending a lot more time at home these days, and for many of us, that includes work. There are a lot of things to consider when creating your at-home setup, but one of the biggest (and most often overlooked) is your health. Here’s what you need to know to create a better work-from-home environment that can improve your daily life.

Ergonomics and Why it Matters

Ergonomics is defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as “fitting a job to a person.” This means both physically and physiologically. Ergonomics uses data to optimize products and environments and aims to improve comfort, performance, overall health and safety. 

If you sit, stand, or move around all day, the position you’re in can either help or hurt your health. Proper ergonomics can help lessen muscle fatigue and increase productivity. From the CDC: “The goal of ergonomics is to prevent soft tissue injuries and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) caused by sudden or sustained exposure to force, vibration, repetitive motion, and awkward posture.”

The Importance of Posture

Being aware of your posture throughout the day is a critical part of healthy ergonomics. Do you notice yourself doing any of these throughout the day?

• Forward head carriage, craning your neck forward
• Sitting hunched over, rounding your upper back
• Pulling your shoulder blades back

Sound familiar? If so, it may be time to take a look at your at-home workstation.

Your Spine Smart Work Station

On average, an American adult sits for 10 hours a day—eight of which are during work hours.  It is important to set up the proper workspace so you can maintain a healthy spine and good posture. Let’s start by creating a spine smart workstation. 

Have someone take a picture of you while you are sitting at your desk or workspace. Review the photo and make these adjustments:

• Computer Monitor: Make sure your computer monitor is 30 inches away from your face, set directly in front of you, and that the bottom edge of the screen is level with your eyes. Prop up your monitor to prevent hunching.
• Chair: To get started, first adjust your chair’s settings so it supports your elbows, hips and knees at 90-degree angles.  This provides lumbar support and takes pressure off the low back
• Feet: Use a footstool (or box) to take pressure off your lower back. Remember to keep your feet flat!

During the day, drink plenty of water and set a timer to take breaks at least every half hour to stretch, walk or move around.

Bonus Posture Tips

• When seated, keep your elbows above the table; don’t rest them or hold them too far forward causing you to hunch.
• Keep your breast bone lifted to avoid strain or unnecessary rounding of the shoulders.
• If needed, sit on a firm pillow to help raise your body.
• For extra support, use a rolled-up blanket or pillow to place behind you as a back rest.
• Keep your knees at a 90-degree angle while seated, feet flat on the floor.
• Make sure your shoulders are dropped and relaxed, with your elbows hanging down near the seam-line of your shirt

Chiropractic and Ergonomics: The MyoCore Difference

At MyoCore, we treat many patients struggling with the effects of poor posture and harmful ergonomic habits. Working alongside your doctor, we use treatments (such as myofascial release, trigger point therapy, deep tissue massage, chiropractic adjustments and therapeutic exercises) to help combat pain and better function.

These treatments are designed to help our patients:

• Restore mobility of the joints
• Regain proper tone and flexibility of the muscles surrounding your joints
• Balance your body with unique therapies and exercise

Come experience how our expert clinical care teams can get you on the path to living pain-free!

By Dr. Katie Benson, D.C.
Associate Chiropractor at MyoCore of Overland Park

With the current COVID pandemic at the forefront of everyone’s minds, another devastating epidemic is still on going in this country: the opioid crisis. Many reading this have heard of the opioid epidemic, but what exactly does that mean and what can be done to combat it?

According to the Surgeon General, as many as two million Americans are currently addicted to or dependent upon prescription opioids. In 2014 as many as 10 million people reported using opioids for nonmedical reasons. This epidemic currently costs the United States economy an estimated $78.5 billion annually. Yes, you read that correctly: $78.5 billion annually! 

That is a staggering amount of money, but the impact on American lives is even more costly. Opioid overdoses kill 91 Americans every single day. Simply reducing the number of prescriptions though will not solve this complex problem as it will leave millions without the means of managing their pain. 

So what can be done? 

That’s where we at MyoCore can come in! 

We specialize in drug-free, non-invasive treatments that relieve pain through soft tissue therapies, rehabilitation exercises and joint manipulations. The American College of Physicians recommends first using non-invasive, non-drug treatments such as heat therapy, massage, acupuncture and spinal manipulation before resorting to drug therapies. Each patient receives an in-depth examination to determine the proper diagnosis and customized treatment plan that will work to decrease pain and improve function. 

Our doctors utilize soft tissue therapies, such as myofascial release, Graston, Active Release Technique (ART) and dry needling to decrease muscle tension and improve mobility. Our chiropractors are also trained in rehabilitation exercise techniques like McKenzie Method of Diagnosis and Therapy, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stability (DNS) and strength training to improve range of motion, strengthen weakened muscles and get you back to doing the things you love quicker! Last but not least, we use a variety of joint manipulation techniques to decrease joint stiffness, decrease pain and improve mobility. These range from gentle joint mobilizations to manual manipulations. 

Your doctor will determine which adjustment type best suits your needs and comfort level. This customized approach to pain management allows our patients to manage their pain outside of our office and can help decrease their need for prescription opioids. A study found that patients receiving chiropractic care were 55 percent less likely to fill an opioid prescription than those who did not receive chiropractic care in conjunction with their prescription! That’s an astounding reduction in opioid usage. 

In addition to our customized pain therapies, we also work closely with other healthcare providers to offer our patients a collaborative care approach to address their complex needs. Our referral network includes acupuncturists, massage therapists, physical therapists, primary care providers, counselors, orthopedists, and many more. Our goal is to build a team for our patients to help manage their healthcare needs. And that includes you! 

We are here to help you manage your pain and return to living the life you want to live! Our doctors strive to help you get back to doing the things that fill your life with happiness whether that’s being able to get on the floor to play with your grandkids, golfing with your friends or running your first 5K. 

We are here to help, so don’t delay your journey to decreased pain and a more active life.

By Dr. Kyle Koerner, D.C.
Associate Chiropractor at MyoCore of South Overland Park

One of the most popular sports in the world today is the sport of golf. Many people enjoy this game from a young age all the way up until they retire—including many of my patients! Golfing is a great way to get some fresh air and maintain an active lifestyle. 

Unlike most sports during this time of global pandemic, golf has experienced a surge in new and returning players. This may be in part due to the natural ability of golfers to socially distance while playing. There are many people, however, who do not participate because the movements required in golf have become too painful. Two of the most common complaints that I encounter in my practice are low back pain and shoulder pain.

So what can be done before, during, and after your game of golf to keep you loose and reduce the pain that’s keeping you from shooting par? Let’s take a look at a few pain-relieving stretches for golfers as well as some more long-term pain management solutions!

For Your Back

One of my favorite stretches to do before I play is 30 quick extensions of my low back followed by slowly stretching my entire spine, rotating it to mimic my golf swing. Unlike other stretches that I see on the course, this actually helps loosen and improve the amount of motion that I can get within my golf swing. It also allows me to rotate further and get more club head speed to make the ball go farther.

For Your Shoulders

Stretching your shoulders is as easy as taking an arm and stretching it across your body—just like you probably did in grade school PE. Again, the goal of this is to specifically stretch in the motion that golf requires.

The same philosophy can be applied not only to the low back and shoulders, but every joint used in your golf swing. My only rule is: if it causes you pain, stop the stretch! If it feels like a stretch, you’re doing it right.

Now, what if during these exercises and stretches for golfers it does hurt, or you can’t stretch the muscles out sufficiently on your own? You might think that you just have to play or live through the pain. That’s not the case! I have bad news and good news for you. If you do experience pain when you stretch, you probably have tight muscles, joints or other tissues that need to be evaluated and treated to return them to proper levels of function. 

Here in our office, we utilize state-of-the-art technology and exams taught only by Titleist Performance Institute. Doing a detailed exam and using wireless motion capture technology will allow us to fully evaluate and improve your swing, as well as decrease pain. 

Because my system is all wireless, I can even come to you on the driving range or course to help fine-tune your swing in a real-world environment! Don’t let pain keep you from getting outside and staying active with the sport you love. Schedule an appointment with MyoCore today and we can start you on the road to recovery!

Herniated disc. Slipped disc. Bulging disk. Pinched nerve.

You may have heard all these terms to describe severe pain felt in the back. The fact is: the worst of the bunch is the herniated disc.

Discs are structures that rest comfortably between your vertebrae, like gel-filled cushions or shock absorbers. A disc can herniate through a tear in the supportive ligaments surrounding one of discs. This can be caused by:

• Sudden injury
• Constant stress
• Improper lifting or twisting of the spinal column

Once the disc ruptures (or herniates), the disc material (somewhat like a jelly) inflames and exerts pressure on the spinal nerves resulting in pain. In the worst-case scenario, the material can push all the way out from between your vertebrae and press on the nerves that branch off the spinal cord.

Will Chiropractic Help Your Herniated Disc?

Chiropractors do not pop a disc back in place using force, nor can a few quick treatments “fix” your herniated disc. With gentle and usually painless adjustment techniques, over time, a disc can be repaired.

In 2006 study published in the prestigious scientific journal “Spine,” showed excellent results for chiropractic manipulation in the treatment of disc injuries and sciatica. 

What to Expect from Care

To help relieve symptoms of disc pain, your chiropractor will first assess your pain to determine your course of treatment. First, it is important to determine if your reflexes are intact and communicating.

Second, your chiropractor will see if there is any loss of muscle strength and check if you have full sensory communication along numerous paths of nerves.

These important orthopedic and neurological exams can help your chiropractor determine which course of action to take next.

A herniated disc is a serious injury. If at any time your chiropractor feels that a spinal surgeon is needed you will be referred. Your chiropractor will check your posture and may order an x-ray or MRI (if necessary) to help with the diagnostic process.

Go with the experts at MyoCore and get the help you need.