Tag: Connecticut

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3 Tips For Exercise During Coronavirus In Meriden

Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is spreading throughout the world. The United States, and especially the New York Metro Area, is currently a hotbed of infection. People are urged to stay home. Physical distancing from others, and avoid going out except for essential activities, is the rule.

Health professionals know that the most effective measures in combating the spread of the virus are robust hygiene practices. Hand washing, limiting physical contact with others, refraining from touching your face, and other health promoting activities are key. Then, one must consider the role of exercise. Physical activity is important in the overall picture of protecting yourself from infection.

A photo of the coronavirus on a blog post from Dr. Erik Reich about exercise during coronavirus pandemic.
Exercise during the coronavirus pandemic can be challenging. Dr. Erik Reich, Meriden chiropractor, offers some advice on staying active in these difficult times.

Exercise has been shown to help regulate the immune system. Regular physical activity can therefore improve your body’s defense to infection. Exercising during the coronavirus pandemic presents unique obstacles. Gyms are closed. Physical distancing guidelines take certain sporting activities off the table. So, in this blog I will offer three suggestions to maintain a physical activity program while adhering to physical distancing and other hygienic protocols.

Something is Better than Nothing

First, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Just because you can’t go to the gym or play basketball with your friends right now doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. If you like to lift heavy weights, now is a great time to focus on your form. Also, attention to intensity at home with lighter reps and more intention yields benefits. You won’t lose strength as quickly as you may be fearing. Maintaining muscle mass doesn’t require the progressive overload that gaining muscle requires. So as long as you’re lifting, pushing, pulling, squatting, hinging, etc. some weight, don’t lose sleep that you may not have access to the loads you are used to moving.

Likewise, while you may not be able to enjoy the team aspect of certain sports, skills can be sharpened and drills can be performed at home for many sports. Take this time to improve or hone your dribbling, feinting, shooting at a target, or other skills. Video yourself and watch it back and look for areas to improve, or share with teammates and ask for feedback on technique. Exercise during coronavirus can have a social aspect if you use the apps and social media that is now available to many of us.

Time for Fresh Air

Studies show, spending time outdoors improves markers for good health. Fewer strokes, less respiratory disease, hypertension, and other conditions are all improved with greater exposure to nature. Furthermore, it is a great way to get some exercise during coronavirus threat, while maintaining physical distance from others.

So despite playgrounds, swimming pools, and gyms being closed, green spaces are accessible and largely remain open to the public. So take a walk on a trail, go for a hike in the woods, walk on the beach, ride your bike, and aim for 150 minutes a week of physical activity as recommended by the CDC and in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. We are all taking advice from the CDC seriously right now, so we might as well adhere to their advice on exercise.

Get Creative with Exercise During Coronavirus

Now is a great time to get creative with your exercise during coronavirus. While being untethered from your usual routine may be stressful, it can also be fun to experiment. If you like lifting weights now is a good time to find some unusual items around the house to push, pull, carry, and squat. Not everything in life is barbell shaped, and in fact most of what life throws at you is not gym equipment.

Therefore, find the benefits in using unconventional loads in your lifts. You will work accessory muscles, balance, coordination, and sometimes it’s just fun to lift weird heavy objects. Think of how popular tire flipping has become at some gyms. Water jugs, a 50 pound bag of sand in the garage, pull ups off the kid’s swing set…use your imagination and lots of everyday items can become gym equipment.

photo of Dr. Erik Reich with his son on his shoulders on a blog about exercise during coronavirus
Dr. Erik Reich, Meriden chiropractor, and his son.

Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc.  located at 303 South Broad Street. Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, and desk workers. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.

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What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a profession of health care providers. Chiropractors treat conditions of the muscles, joints, and nervous system. The most common and widely recognized chiropractic intervention is the adjustment or “joint manipulation.” Chiropractors also employ other treatments such as exercise, physiotherapy, nutrition counseling, and lifestyle modification advice.

A picture of a chiropractor setting a patient up to be adjusted.
Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is the most widely recognized treatment performed by a chiropractor. An adjustment is delivered to a joint to affect the motion of the joint. Adjustments also can relax surrounding muscles, and release pain modulating chemicals to reduce symptoms.

More Than the Adjustment

What is chiropractic? Well, most visits to the chiropractor involve getting an adjustment, or several adjustments. However, there are other important benefits to receiving chiropractic care. A skilled chiropractic physician will be able to identify and diagnose the cause of pain or other symptoms. Also, if the underlying problem(s) is amenable to chiropractic treatment, a trial of care will be recommended which may include patient education, adjustments, physical therapy modalities, stretches and exercises, and lifestyle advice all tailored to you as an individual.

If you present to the chiropractor and treatment is not recommended for you, an appropriate referral to a specialist should be made. Some conditions may not seem likely to respond to chiropractic treatment but many patients decide to go forward with a short trial of care, especially if they have already tried many other doctors or treatments without success.

Safe and Effective Treatment

Chiropractic treatment is non-invasive. It is also conservative in nature, and without drugs or surgery. Furthermore, there are typically few side-effects beyond soreness following some treatments. Therefore, many medical journals and societies are recognizing chiropractic treatment as a first line intervention. Especially for treatment of lower back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Also, chiropractic has shown itself to be efficacious in the treatment of joint pain. As well as tendon injuries, ligament sprains, disc herniation, and other insults to the human frame.

From the American Chiropractic Association’s website some key points:

  • DCs are licensed to practice in all 50 states and the District of Columbia–and in many nations around the world–and undergo a rigorous education in the healing sciences at institutions accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. 
  • A growing list of research studies and reviews demonstrate that the services provided by chiropractors are both safe and effective. The evidence strongly supports the natural, whole-body, and cost-effective approach of chiropractic services for a variety of conditions.
  • Chiropractor’s services are included in most health insurance plans, including major medical plans, workers’ compensation, Medicare, some Medicaid plans, and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans for federal employees, among others. 
  • Chiropractors are used extensively by amateur and professional athletes, professional dancers, and others to prevent and treat injuries as well as achieve optimal health and functioning.

About the Author:

Dr. Reich and son riding on his shoulders pictured in a blog post for What is chiropractic?
Dr. Erik Reich is a practicing chiropractor in Meriden, CT.

Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. . Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, laborers, and desk jockeys. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.

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New Year’s Resolutions for the Back Pain Sufferer

Happy New Year!

2019 is coming to an end. As we embrace the new year, and you are making your New Year’s Resolutions to finally kick back pain to the curb, keep these points in mind. Because as a society approximately 80% of us have or will experience back pain, this is the perfect season to resolve to beat the odds. At an annual health care burden in the billions of dollars, lower back pain is a scourge felt worldwide. But these New Year’s Resolutions can help you overcome one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.

  1. Exercise at least 20 minutes a day, 7 days a week.
  2. Stop smoking.
  3. Eat at least 6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
  4. Get more and better sleep.
  5. Seek help if your symptoms are not resolving.
Picture of a man holding his lower back in pain arched into extension with a caption stating that Dr. Erik Reich in Meriden, CT treats back pain in the blog for New year's Resolutions for back pain sufferers.
Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT who treats all types of musculoskeletal back pain.

Exercise for Your Back Pain

It may seem counter intuitive to exercise a part of your body that may be injured or in pain but science regularly backs this up. Therefore, one of the best interventions for both acute (new) and chronic (old) pain is graded exposure to exercise. If you are unsure of where or how to begin an exercise program while in pain, see resolution #5 – Seek Help!

Stop Smoking

Needless to say this is old news for a variety of health reasons, but in terms of back pain, smoking is very bad for both pain intensity experienced, healing time, and outcomes overall. I recently wrote a blog on this very subject here.

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and veggies pictured on the blog of Dr. Erik Reich Meriden Chiropractor for New Year's Resolutions for back pain sufferers.
Increased fruit and vegetable intake is associated with better healing and pain reduction.

When you consume more fruits and vegetables your body heals better, this is well documented in the scientific literature. Vitamin A is required for cell and bone formation, cellular differentiation, and immune function. Vitamin C is necessary for collagen and connective tissue formation and as a tissue antioxidant. Fruits and vegetables also contain fiber which is filling and satiety will reduce cravings for more inflammatory foods (processed foods, sweets, chips, etc.) which should be avoided when healing.

Better Sleep, Better health

Two recent studies in just the past month or two have shed more light on the important role sleep plays in your health outcomes. In one study which was discussed in this article, lack of and poor quality sleep was shown to increase pain felt by up to 30%. Furthermore, in another recent example, a study showed how sleep helps to clean the brain and allow your body to remove toxins.

Ask for Help

The human body is resilient. You are highly adaptable and given the right inputs the body will take care of the output. But garbage in = garbage out. So if you are experiencing back pain, make some simple (but not easy) lifestyle changes to give yourself the greatest chance to recover. Or if you are unsure of how to make these changes, don’t hesitate to reach out and get some help.

Dr. Erik Reich is available for appointments Monday – Friday and can be reached by phone at (203)235-0171.

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Dealing with Low Back Pain

What a patient needs to know when dealing with lower back pain.

A picture of a man holding his lower back in pain.
Dr. Erik Reich in Meriden treats non-traumatic lower back pain and other muskuloskeletal conditions.

First and foremost, the human body is resilient and adaptable. Most cases of lower back pain resolve with little to no intervention. Taking a hot shower, a walk, and some light stretching is often enough to ease a hurting lower back after a day or two. If pain or symptoms persist, an evaluation and treatment may be a better course of action. However, many cases of lower back pain get better with a return to normal activity and time.

If your lower back pain does not resolve, or if trauma or overuse injury is involved (a fall, car accident, over zealous gardening or home improvement job, sports injury) then a visit to the office is a better idea.

At the office a thorough intake, history, and examination will be performed so that the cause of your lower back pain can be determined and a personalized plan of care will be recommended including education about your back pain, hot or cold compresses, physio-therapeutic modalities, stretching and exercises, and spinal manipulation (chiropractic adjustment of the spine).

You will be reassured to know that the vast majority of lower back pain episodes respond very well to this type of conservative care. Furthermore, despite a great deal of pain and worry, your lower back pain can be helped with gentle chiropractic care.

About Dr. Erik Reich

Dr. Erik Reich is a Chiropractic Physician in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. . Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, and traumatic injuries such as work and car accidents. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.