Beverly Hills Sports Chiropractic: Exercises To Strengthen Inner Thighs

Pain felt on the outer knee, especially in runners, can be due to iliotibial band frictions syndrome (ITBFS).  The iliotibial band (ITB) is the longest tendon in the body.  It is a conjoined tendon, which means it originates from two different muscles--the gluteus maximus (your butt) and the tensor fascia lata (front hip).  When tight, the ITB can snap across the knee joint, causing inflammation and ultimately pain.

Visiting a sports chiropractor is your best bet to relieving this painful knee condition.  In my Beverly Hills sports chiropractic office, I would treat your iliotibial band frictions syndrome with physiotherapy, myofascial release, chiropractic adjustments of the pelvis and knee, and eventually rehab exercises.

The best rehab exercises I know for fixing ITBFS are IT band stretches, and strengthening the inner thighs.  The adductors are the muscles of the inner thighs, and when weak, they are unable to counter the tight ITBs.  This imbalance is one factor leading to ITBFS.  To prevent outer knee pain, try the exercise I demonstrate in the video below.  All you'll need are some simple yoga blocks, and squeeze away--guaranteed to remove knee pain and improve posture.  Please watch the video below to learn the best inner thigh strengthening exercises available.

Pec Stretches for Upper Back Pain Relief

Many people come into my Beverly Hills chiropractic office asking what they can do to stretch their upper backs.  Upper back pain and stiffness has become more common as the use of computers and laptops has increased.  I always say that the best stretch for the upper back is really a stretch for the chest, because when the chest muscles (pectorals major and minor) get tight, they can cause the the upper back muscles to become overactive.

As far as I'm concerned, pec stretches are fundamental, so EVERYONE should be doing them.  But especially people with neck pain, upper back stiffness or shoulder injuries should ultimately open up their chest areas.  Watch the video below to see the best pec stretch for flexibility and upper back pain relief.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic: Relaxation Technique Relaxes Stiff, Tight Neck Muscles

People presenting to my Beverly Hills chiropractic office with neck pain and stiffness can expect a comprehensive evaluation to determine the source of their discomfort.  What I find in the large majority of these people is that sitting in a hunched forward posture for several hours a day either driving or working on a computer leads to tight, sore muscles of the neck and upper shoulders.

The muscles most commonly afflicted are the upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles.  These two shoulder elevators develop spasm and trigger points when held continuously in a shrugged position--the common postural position of somebody slumping forward.  The muscles will also, over time, develop shortness and tightness or lose length.  Further, being in the contracted state that persistent shrugging causes, the muscles ultimately have difficulty relaxing or going into a rest position.  This is felt by the person suffering as "constant neck stiffness and tightness" that is unrelieved by anything they try whether stretching or massage.

My sports chiropractic work focuses on de-contracting contracted muscle.  I do this through a technique called post-isometric relaxation (PIR), which takes advantage of muscle fiber physiology to get the muscles to understand, neurologically, to relax.  PIR is more than a stretch; in fact, you cannot stretch out a hyper-contraction.  Many people try, but make matters worse.  All muscles have receptors in place that prevent excessive stretching of the tissue.  Stretching into a contraction makes these receptors fire, contracting the muscle even more.  Doh!

Watch the video below to get an idea of how PIR works.  And if you have neck pain and stiffness that seems unresponsive to stretching and massage, call your local sports chiropractor for a full neck pain assessment.  If you are in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or West Hollywood, sports chiropractic and PIR is just a phone call away.

Los Angeles Chiropractic Shoulder Pain Treatment

Treating shoulder pain can be tricky business if a proper assessment and diagnosis is not achieved.  Visiting a sports chiropractor is a good first step to relieving the pain and disability that usually accompanies a shoulder problem.  If it turns out that you are suffering from a rotator cuff syndrome, you'll need to get your shoulder worked on manually before rehab begins.  Retraining the muscle to bring back strength and stability will be of the utmost importance.  Watch the video above to see how we treat a rotator cuff syndrome causing shoulder pain in my Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood sports chiropractic office.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic: Tight Hamstrings Cause Low Back Pain

Low back pain can have many sources--organic disease, herniated disks, and over-worked muscles can all cause pain in the lower back.  One factor that many people are unaware of are short, tight muscles.  The hamstrings are one such muscle group that can cause low back pain.

The hamstrings attach to the bottom portion of the pelvis, the ischial tubes, or "sit bones" as they are called in yoga.  When the hamstrings get tight, they pull downward on the sit bones, which in turn causes the pelvis to rotate backward.  As a righting compensation, the lumbar spine (low back arch) will decrease its natural arch and flex somewhat forward causing a straightening of the lumbar curve.  This straightening increases the compressive forces of the intervertebral disks, causing stress, pain and risk for disk herniation.

One simple answer is to stretch your hamstrings--but NOT like your PE teacher taught you in the sixth grade.  Reaching down to touch your toes merely increases the pressure on the lumbar spine--this can cause a herniated disk in susceptible people.  If you've ever heard somebody say that they've "thrown out" his or her back by bending over to pick something up, tight hamstrings was very likely a part of the equation.

This does not have to be you.  The solution is stretching your hamstrings regularly.  When it comes to stretching the hamstrings, there is a right way and a wrong way.  Watch the video above to learn the proper way to stretch your hamstrings.  If you are suffering from low back pain and need a chiropractor in Los Angeles, West Hollywood or Beverly Hills, please visit my sports chiropractic office to get low back pain relief.

Beverly Hills Chiropractor on Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is pain experienced on the outer part of the elbow and forearm. It is common in tennis players, usually from poor form or faulty equipment, but really anybody that uses their hands regularly, in work or in play, can develop tennis elbow.

Tennis elbow is a muscular issue where micro-tears of the muscles of the forearm are causing elbow pain and discomfort on gripping or carrying items. Even shaking hands can be an excruciating endeavor when tennis elbow is present--not a good thing. So having this condition warrants a trip to your local sports chiropractor for evaluation and treatment.

To find out how you'll be treated for tennis elbow, especially in my Beverly Hills chiropractic office, please watch the video above; and you can get even more information on the causes and symptoms of tennis elbow by reading the article at this link.

If you are experiencing outer elbow and forearm pain and difficulty gripping or carrying items, don't hesitate--call your local sports chiropractor today.