When you need fast and effective pain relief, a chiropractor is one of the best places to find that relief. A simple spinal adjustment can really work wonders for your body. You should, however, exercise caution as you choose between Denver chiropractors. While some chiropractors can provide exceptional care, there are many that fail to meet that same standard. You deserve the best chiropractic care and you shouldn’t settle for anything less than that. As you mull over your options, look out for some of these red flags. They are clear signs that a given chiropractor is the wrong choice for you.

Poor Customer Testimonials

This is always an obvious red flag, regardless of the business you’re considering. Customer reviews can offer you clear insights into the business practices of a given chiropractor. They can help you develop a clear picture of:

• What you can expect from the chiropractor.
• How they value and treat their customers.
• What the typical quality of care may look like.

As you research various Denver chiropractors, always remember to examine their online reviews. If all the testimonials are glowing, you might have found a great chiropractor for your needs. Negative reviews can be clear red flags that a chiropractor may not be the best fit for you.

Minimal Experience

When you become ill, you need to visit a doctor. But, which doctor should you go see? It’s highly likely that you will avoid inexperienced practitioners and go with a more accomplished doctor instead. You should approach your decision between Denver chiropractors in the same way.

Chiropractors can range broadly in terms of their experiences. If a chiropractor is new to the field, they will be more prone to making mistakes. You definitely don’t want your chiropractor to mess up while they’re adjusting your spine. As you review your chiropractic options, try to find out a few things, like:

• How long have they been practicing chiropractic care with clients directly?
• What level of education do they currently possess?
• Exactly how long have they been working at their current chiropractic clinic?

The experience of a chiropractor is very important. If a chiropractor is relatively inexperienced, you should look for another option.

Scare Tactics

Sooner or later, you’ll feel confident enough with a chiropractor to go in for an initial consultation. That first meeting is a chance to learn more about each chiropractor and gauge your comfort level with them. Make sure you pay attention to how the chiropractor makes you feel. During the consultation, does it feel like the chiropractor is trying to scare you into returning for a second visit? If so, then consider this a big red flag. High-quality chiropractors will never use scare tactics on their clients.

During this initial consultation, ask yourself a few questions:

• Are they exaggerating your condition?
• Do they insist that you need to visit their office every single week?
• Do you feel overly anxious/frightened during or after your appointment?

If you say yes to any of these questions, they are not the right chiropractic option for you. Your chiropractor should never try to scare you into becoming a client. Chiropractors should only ever try to improve your health and ease your mind. If they utilize any scare tactics, then you should schedule another consultation elsewhere.

Unable To Answer Questions

You can generally assume that most Denver chiropractors are quite knowledgeable in their field. They should be able to provide clear answers for any chiropractic questions that pop into your head. These questions and answers help establish a trusting relationship between you and your chiropractor. By demonstrating their expertise verbally, you’ll feel more comfortable and prepared to work with them.

If a chiropractor is unable or unwilling to answer your questions, consider this a big red flag. A lack of clear answers to your questions could indicate a number of things. It could possibly mean that:

• They don’t value customer service.
• They’re not as educated or experienced as they might claim.
• Or maybe they just aren’t confident in their techniques or treatments.

Regardless, you should be wary of a chiropractor if they can’t answer your questions.

Impossible Cure Claims

Studies have shown that chiropractic care can provide effective pain relief for a number of chronic conditions. Research has also revealed that chiropractic care can boost your health in a number of ways that aren’t related to your spinal health. However, that does not mean that chiropractic care is a cure for the impossible!

Chiropractic care is not magic. It is definitely not the end-all cure for any kind of health problem. If a chiropractor claims that they can fully cure specific health conditions with their hands, don’t trust them! They are most likely exaggerating about the quality of their services to lure you in. Never trust those outrageous chiropractic health claims! You should only work with Denver chiropractors who acknowledge the limitations of their services.

No Treatment Plan

Have you ever worked with a chiropractor who wants to keep you as a client indefinitely? They might provide temporary pain relief for you, but they aren’t concerned with improving your condition at all. They just want to have a standing weekly appointment with you for the rest of your life. It’s a shady practice of some chiropractors to boost their paychecks. That is not the kind of treatment that you deserve.

Ideally, your chiropractor should develop a comprehensive treatment plan for you. They should take into account all of your pain problems to craft a personalized plan with a roughly defined end date. With each appointment, they should be checking in on your progress:

• What has changed for you?
• Do you feel like your pain has improved or worsened?
• Which symptoms are still present and which ones are gone?

Your chiropractor should only be concerned with one thing: improving your health. They should strive to improve your conditions enough to where you never have to see their chiropractic office again. It might sound strange, but this is a sign of a high-quality chiropractor. As you compare Denver chiropractors, make sure they can develop a personalized treatment plan for you.

Book Your Consultation With One Of The Best Denver Chiropractors

You deserve high-quality chiropractic care, and that’s what you’ll get at Ideal Health Chiropractic. We strive to develop highly personalized treatment plans for each client. We prioritize education, to make sure every client is fully informed on our processes and their treatment plan. We’re invested in your success and we’ll leverage our years of experience to benefit you.

Book your initial consultation with Ideal Health today to see why we stand out in the crowd of Denver chiropractors.

In the great city of Denver, there is no shortage of chiropractic options. Even in the suburbs of Aurora and Littleton, you can find chiropractors all over the place. However, that doesn’t mean all those chiropractors are the same. The quality of chiropractic care can range wildly throughout the Mile High city. Some may be exceptional and friendly, while others might be rude and pushy. So, what makes a good chiropractor? We put together a simple list of the 4 most identifiable qualities of the best chiropractors in Denver. When you’re choosing your next chiropractic option, make sure they display these qualities first.

“Homework” Assignments

Nobody likes homework. From elementary students to PhD candidates, homework can feel like a boring and tedious chore. Of course, those homework assignments aim to improve and maintain the skills of the students. The best chiropractors in Denver will always assign you some homework for a similar reason.

The assignments you receive won’t be worksheets or essays. Instead, your homework will be a series of personalized stretches that are designed to improve your health and flexibility in the long-term. Stretching is one of the best things that you can do for your health and your chiropractor should understand that.

High-quality chiropractors are invested in your health. They shouldn’t want to keep seeing you every week for years and years. Their priority should be to minimize your number of chiropractic appointments. Those homework stretches will help you accomplish that goal. If you complete your stretching routine every day, you’ll never have to see that chiropractor again! And only the best chiropractors in Denver will want that to happen.

Clear, Personable, And Consistent Communication

Nothing is worse than a chiropractor with poor communication skills. We’ve all seen those chiropractic clinics that are more focused on seeing 10 patients in an hour than providing the care that their clients need. They don’t answer questions effectively and they just breeze through spinal adjustments as quickly as possible. That’s not the kind of attention that you deserve.

The best chiropractors in Denver will provide a better form of communication. When you go in for a spinal adjustment a high-quality chiropractor should:

• Be friendly and happy to see you.
• Clearly communicate every piece of their treatment strategy to you.
• Listen attentively to your needs and answer all of your questions.
• Adjust your treatment accordingly to effectively alleviate your pain.

You should receive that same quality of communication every time you see them. Consistent and open communication is the key to effective chiropractic care.

Utilize Innovative Treatments

There is a long history behind the field of chiropractic care. The first recorded spinal adjustment was performed in 1895 by DD Palmer, the father of the modern chiropractic practice. Throughout that lengthy history, different philosophies rose and fell while scientific breakthroughs occurred too. After all that time, spinal adjustments are still the most common chiropractic treatment. They’ve stuck around for so long because they work so well. However, that doesn’t mean they’re the perfect treatment for you.

Chiropractic care is evolving all the time and new treatments emerge consistently. The best chiropractors in Denver will offer innovative and effective therapies to alleviate your pain. Their available treatments should branch out far beyond the typical spinal adjustment.

At Ideal Health Chiropractic, for instance, we’re proud to offer electronic stimulation therapy. This incredible treatment uses electrical pulses to stimulate the underlying muscles of your pain area. Those pulses cause the muscles to react, twitch, and relax. The e-stim process helps re-educate your muscles and support a natural healing process back to their original state. It’s an innovative treatment option that is only offered by the best chiropractors in Denver.

A Focus On Your Health

Have you ever worked with a chiropractor who is only focused on their paycheck? It's an all-too-common reality that far too many people have to live through on a daily basis. Your chiropractor shouldn't be focused on trying to retain you as a client for as long as possible. Instead, your chiropractor should be focused on one thing and one thing only: your health.

That means your chiropractor should develop a personalized treatment plan for you with a target end-date. Their end goal should really be to help you improve your well-being enough so that you never have to visit them again! It may sound counter intuitive, but we assure you it isn't. The leading chiropractors will do everything in their power to improve your overall health. And, as time goes on, they will reevaluate your progress and adjust your treatment plan accordingly, to continue delivering the maximum benefit possible to you.

Book Your First Appointment With One Of The Best Chiropractors In Denver

You deserve the best treatment for your chronic pain problems. That means you need someone who is invested in your health and wellness. At Ideal Health Chiropractic, we’re not in this business to make a quick buck. We’re here to provide the optimal chiropractic care for your individual needs. We’ll develop a highly personalized treatment plan to effectively alleviate your recurring pain problems. It’s what makes us one of the best chiropractors in Denver.

Are you ready to find effective pain relief? Then book your first appointment with Ideal Health Chiropractic today!

Denver has experienced a population surge in recent years. This increase in residents has also led to an increase in chiropractic options. You have a plethora of chiropractic options to choose from. This abundance of choices can make it difficult to know which chiropractor is the best pick for you. Before you decide on a Denver chiropractic care option, there are a few things you should thoroughly consider first. Let’s examine some of the more important things that you should take into consideration.

What’s Their Approach To Health And Wellness?

There is no shortage of chiropractic colleges in the US. While each school may teach chiropractors similar lessons, their chiropractic philosophies may vary wildly. Differing schools of thought can influence chiropractors to develop their own approaches to health and wellness. When you start to research your Denver chiropractic care options, look into their personal approaches and chiropractic philosophies.

Many chiropractors have let greed influence their approaches to health and wellness. We’ve all seen those chiropractors who are more focused on their ROI than the wellness of their clients. Your chiropractor should actually be invested in improving your health and not just on their profits.

At Ideal Health Chiropractic, we believe in the innate intelligence of the human body. We focus on improving your health by providing high-quality chiropractic services at affordable prices. Our chiropractic approach focuses on removing obstacles and finding individualized solutions that actually work. We don’t want to retain clients for years and years. Instead, we just want to help our clients experience a more vibrant, happier, and healthier life.

What Treatment Options Do They Offer?

Many individuals may just be looking for a fast chiropractic fix or a quick spinal adjustment. Sometimes that’s all that you might need for effective pain relief. Still, it’s a good idea to examine the other treatments that those Denver chiropractic care options may offer. You might not need those additional services right now. However, your body might require other treatments later down the line.

As a leading provider of Denver chiropractic care, we offer a wide selection of chiropractic services. We’re very proud of our abilities to provide powerful pain relief through a variety of means. At Ideal Health Chiropractic, our offered services include:

• Chiropractic care
• Acupuncture
• Electronic stimulation and ultrasound therapy
• Custom orthotics
• Physical therapy manipulations

For a number of our patients, we will often combine these services to effectively alleviate your recurring pains. Our chiropractic staff can develop a personalized treatment plan for you that involves some of these services. We design and personalize each treatment plan to improve the health of our clients.

What’s Their Reputation?

Any given chiropractor will only be as good as their reputation allows. As you gleam through your options for Denver chiropractic care, take some time to evaluate the customer reviews and testimonials. Real-world reviews on Google and other sites can shed a lot of light on a given chiropractor. Take some time to look through those reviews before you make a final decision. Check to see:

• What a typical customer experience may look like.
• If the chiropractor interacts with the reviews.
• If there are any common complaints or concerns.

Those reviews can reveal some crucial insights into how a given chiropractor operates. Are they personable or distant? Do they seem consistent or spotty? Are they pleasant or rude? Genuine customer reviews can reveal all of that information and more! You’ll quickly learn whether or not that Denver chiropractic care option would fit your needs and preferences. Trust us, you do not want to get stuck with a chiropractor that has a poor reputation.

Book Your First Appointment With The Best Denver Chiropractic Care Option

Finding long-lasting and effective pain relief doesn’t need to be a difficult process! All you need is a reputable chiropractor that’s personally invested in your well-being. That’s exactly the kind of care you receive when you work with Ideal Health Chiropractic.

Book your first appointment with one of the top providers of Denver chiropractic care today!

All too often, we prioritize work ahead of ourselves. We neglect the importance of self-care, focusing more on our deadlines rather than our pains. With so many chiropractic options to choose from in the Denver area, it’s difficult to know which one is the best option for you. To help with your decision process, we wanted to discuss a few reasons why busy professionals should opt for a downtown Denver chiropractor.

1) A Convenient Location

From the suburbs of Lakewood to the gorgeous storefronts in the Highlands, the sprawling city of Denver has plenty to offer just about anyone. However, a great deal of cultural attractions, well-known restaurants, local businesses, and more are packed into downtown Denver. Once you wrap up your chiropractic appointment, regardless of which downtown Denver chiropractor you visit, you’ll find yourself in a bustling centralized hub of activity afterwards.

After your appointment, you have virtually limitless options for your next step. Following your adjustment in downtown Denver, you can:

• Have lunch with a client - There’s no shortage of restaurant options in downtown Denver!
• Attend a networking happy hour - Downtown Denver is always bustling with networking events.
• Grab a coffee and catch up on emails - Whether you’re jonesing for Starbucks or a quick brew from an amazing local cafe, downtown has it all!
• Or try something completely new!

Convenience is key, so the ability to hop on the light rail or walk to a nearby co-working space after your appointment with a downtown Denver chiropractor can make or break your patient experience.

2) Boost Your Work Day In Downtown

If you consistently find yourself dozing off or feeling lethargic throughout your workday, a downtown Denver chiropractor may be able to offer the pick-me-up you need to get through the day.

Chiropractic treatment has been shown to effectively increase patient energy, which in turn increases your productivity throughout your workday. This energy boost is due to the fact that pain burns up your energy. Whenever you experience pain, your body directs your excess energy towards your ailment to help it heal. When that pain is alleviated, that energy is no longer siphoned off.

A spinal adjustment can reduce tension in your spine and free up your nerves to work more effectively. Without the added pressure from your chronic pain, you’ll find you can devote more energy and attention to your work throughout the day.

3) Improve your Mood

If you work in downtown Denver, you’re more than familiar with the chaotic feelings associated with the centralized location. From your daily workflow to the afternoon rush hour, everything throughout the day can add on extra stress and can dampen your mood.

Fortunately, you can quickly alleviate your stress and improve your happiness from a quick adjustment by a leading downtown Denver chiropractor. Industry research has shown how effectively chiropractic care can reduce stress and improve your mood. Before you join the traffic surge, book a 30 minute adjustment and turn your evening commute into a relaxing drive.

4) Expertise from a Downtown Denver Chiropractor

Many chiropractors in downtown Denver have been practicing chiropractic care for years and years. Since the locations along 16th Street Mall are in such high demand, you can assume most downtown Denver chiropractors haven’t moved to new locations for quite some time.

Take Dr. Gregory Funk for instance, the founder of Ideal Health Chiropractic. Dr. Funk has been practicing chiropractic care and acupuncture for over 20 years. This means you’re getting the best possible treatment from an experienced professional. Get the reliable treatment you need in downtown Denver.

5) Treat your Pains

Of course, this pointer is an obvious statement. Your downtown Denver chiropractor should call upon their years of experience to effectively treat your pain, whatever they may be. If you’re suffering from chronic daily pain, then it’s time for you to book your chiropractic appointment.

Book Your First Appointment with the Best Downtown Denver Chiropractor

At Ideal Health Chiropractic, our downtown Denver chiropractor checks all of the boxes we’ve discussed above. Dr. Gregory Funk brings years of expertise to the table and is entirely focused on the physical and mental well-being of each visitor.

Check out our appointment calendar today and find the best appointment time slot to fit into your busy workday.

In our chaotic world, we can quickly become frustrated by things that feel like a waste of time. Chiropractic consultations in Denver can sometimes feel like that. You’re experiencing pain, you want to alleviate that pain quickly. But, chiropractic care isn’t something you should rush into. Your chiropractor needs to be the right fit for your needs and you can figure out your best option through consultations.

Chiropractic consultations are opportunities for you to learn more about the chiropractor, about yourself, and about the best approach to alleviate your pains. Take the time to turn the consultation into a conversation, rather than a roadblock.

Signs of High-Quality Chiropractic Consultations in Denver

Every chiropractor should be properly trained and certified, however each chiropractor may have different approaches to their consultations. Some may just ask you a series of questions, while others may take a more physical approach. Good chiropractic consultations will often include some of the following steps:

• An examination of your medical history — This can help develop a treatment plan later down the line.
• A discussion of your pain symptoms — Communicating openly about pains can demonstrate the expertise and character of the chiropractor.
• An initial evaluation of your condition — Whether it’s through x-rays, hands-on treatment, or stretches, this step helps determine the best treatment for you.

If the consultation includes these steps, you may just be in the right place. But, these steps also help the chiropractor understand your specific situation further. So, how can consultations benefit you?

Learn more about what you can expect from a chiropractic consultation.

Benefits of Chiropractic Consultations in Denver

Your consultation is a foundational learning process for you and your doctor. By the time your chiropractic consultation is wrapping up, you should have:

• A better understanding of your pain problems — If the chiropractor is as much of an expert as they claim, then they’ll have taught you a thing or two about your pain problems. You may even walk away with an idea of how to treat your pain at home.
• Established a personal connection between you and the chiropractor — From your short chiropractic consultation in Denver, you’ll have an idea of the personality of the chiropractor and how they interact with clients. Hopefully, you two got along great!
• Developed a personalized treatment plan — If they followed the right steps, your treatment plan should be well thought out and thoroughly prepared.
• Have all of your questions answered — Like we said earlier, the consultation is a conversation. Use it to answer all of your questions, whether they’re spine-related or insurance-based.

If you’ve realized these benefits by the time you’re walking out the door, that chiropractor should be in the running as your best option.

Lessons You’ll Learn From Your Chiropractic Consultations

So maybe you’ve been able to visit a handful of chiropractors and you’re getting ready to make your final decision. It doesn’t have to be a stressful event! From your consultations, you should be able to know:

• What may be causing your pains
• If you can work with that chiropractor
• If chiropractic care is the right choice for you (physical therapy could be a good alternative for you)

Hopefully, you use the knowledge that you gained from each of your chiropractic consultations in Denver to narrow down your choices and make the right decision for you.

Schedule Chiropractic Consultations in Denver with Dr. Funk

If you’re experiencing pain on a daily basis, the first step to alleviating that pain and improving your own health is by setting up your first chiropractic consultation. At Ideal Health Chiropractic, our in-house chiropractor, Dr. Gregory Funk, will work through your pain issues, medical history, and pressing questions to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that is personalized to your needs.

We believe that chiropractic consultations in Denver should be thorough, informative, and timely. Schedule your first chiropractic consultation with Dr. Funk today and we’ll work through your spinal issues together.

Finding the right chiropractic care for you can be difficult. With so many chiropractic options to choose from, it can quickly feel like an overwhelming process, especially when you need immediate chiropractic attention. At Ideal Health Chiropractic, we understand how important it is to choose the best chiropractor for you. So, we developed this simple checklist to help you find the best chiropractor in Denver for your needs.

Some experts believe that up to 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their life. Just like the hiccups or taxes, it’s one of the few things we can’t escape. Some may just ignore their problems and those who seek to alleviate the pain may meet with Denver chiropractors who don’t have the time to do a proper adjustment.

At Ideal Health, our chiropractic staff take the time to work through problems with our patients. We want to do our best to make sure you’re not suffering through your daily routine with chronic, or mild, back pain. Here are just a few of the ways Ideal Health is different than the rest.

Our Denver Chiropractor Respects Your Personal Time

At Ideal Health Chiropractic, we are driven by the idea that maintaining your health and wellness is a partnership between you and your care providers. By now, you know the all-too-familiar chiropractic visit: you arrive at the clinic early, wait 20-30 minutes for your late appointment, chat with the physician for 3 minutes, lie down on the table for a few spinal adjustments, then you’re ushered out as quickly as you came in with a few documents outlining a handful of exercises to do in your own time, and you leave with more questions than answers.

Our Denver chiropractor understands the separation between your appointment time and your personal time. Our staff isn’t here to tell you what you “should” do, but rather we work collaboratively with our patients to find the solutions that really work and benefit their lives. We like to think less about homework and more about long-term projects: we understand that your chiropractic issues won’t be solved with one appointment, but instead it’s a collaborative process towards long-term health and wellness.

We pride ourselves on personal service and reduced wait times. Dr. Gregory Funk, our downtown Denver chiropractor, will always listen to your concerns carefully to fully understand your personal situation. Using his 15+ years of chiropractic experience, Dr. Funk will assess your issues accurately and map out the correct personalized plan for your treatment.

Other Denver Chiropractors Only Specialize in One Area

Our office is fluent in the latest chiropractic techniques and we understand how uniquely different everyone’s body is. Some may respond very well to deep traditional chiropractic care, while others may be less susceptible. As the top chiropractic service in downtown Denver, we specialize in multiple wellness areas: chiropractic, acupuncture, and physical therapy manipulations. And within each one of these areas, we can specialize even further into “no pop” chiropractic care. Sometimes a combination of the three practices can work the best as well.

Our Denver chiropractor is here to meet your needs, whatever they may be, in a personalized and professional approach.

Booking Denver Chiropractor Appointments Is Fast, Easy, and Free

Our online booking feature allows our clients to find the best appointment slot for you. Book your appointments weeks in advance to fit your schedule, but don’t worry, you’ll be reminded via email and text so you never miss your appointments. Appointment options range from 15-45 minute sessions, depending on your availability and needs.

Want to snag a convenient appointment time with our Denver chiropractor in an ideal location? Check out our appointment calendar and book your first adjustment with Dr. Funk today!

Over the last fifteen years, we have seen a dramatic increase in opioid overdose deaths. In the United States, 91 people die every day of opioid overdose. Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control shows that nearly 50 percent of those deaths are caused by the abuse of prescription opioids. For a long time, opioids have been considered as the best pain management option out there. But, those options are expanding.

What Are Opioids?

Opioids are a class of drug that is used to treat moderate to severe pain and can be prescribed to a patient by a doctor. In recent years, opioid use has become a more commonly accepted way to treat chronic pain that is unrelated to cancer or other diseases. Between 1999 and 2015, a number of opiates dispensed quadrupled. Alarmingly, the reports of pain over the same period of time have stayed relatively constant. This lends itself to what the CDC is calling an epidemic in opioid use for pain management.

One of the many problems with relying on opioids for pain management is that the treatment is highly addictive. One of the key side effects that make them so addictive is a patient can develop a tolerance to the medication, so it requires more of the opioid to get the same pain relief. Additionally, a patient can quickly develop a physical dependence that will cause them to experience withdrawal symptoms when they are not taking the opioid.

The Joint Commission

These side effects and the addictive qualities of opioids make them a less than ideal go-to solution for pain management. As the usage increases and the aftermath become more deadly, the Joint Commission is stepping in and developing updated regulations for pain assessment and management.

The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that is responsible for the accreditation and certification of health care organizations and programs. This accreditation and certification are recognized as a symbol of high-quality health care.

New Regulations for Pain Management

In July of this year, the Joint Commission released their official newsletter that included their enhanced requirements for pain assessment and management that accredited hospitals have to adhere to. These new standards will go into effect on January 1st, 2018.

After a full year of research and a standards review panel of experts, the new standards were released for comment in January of 2017 and included the following:

1. Selection of a leadership team responsible specifically for pain management and safe opioid prescription practices.
2. Including the patient in the development of their pain management plan.
3. Setting reasonable and measurable goals for their plan.
4. Maintaining and promoting safe opioid use through the identification and monitoring of potentially high-risk patients.
5. Facilitating clinician access to prescription drug monitoring program databases.
6. Conducting performance improvement activities focused on pain assessment and management for the purposes of increased safety and quality.

The overall goal of these new regulations is to encourage medical professionals and patients to look outside of quick fixes like opioids for pain management.

A New Take On Pain Management

With hospitals now being required to include non-pharmacologic treatments in plans to manage pain, more homeopathic options come to the forefront. Hospitals across the nation will now be partnering with and referring patients to chiropractors to provide their patients with a more complete management plan for their pains.

The priority of managing pain is being helping a person feel 100% again. Chiropractic serves as a long-term remedy for patients struggling with pain and will support the mission of decreasing opioid dependence and overdose.

In a world where many of us are constantly slumped over our desks on our computers or on our cell phones, we’re likely not thinking about our posture. But regardless of how much thought we put into it, having good posture is incredibly important for everyday health. You might not feel any immediate negative effects after sitting with poor posture for a couple of hours, but over time, the stress that poor posture puts on your spine can lead to long-lasting consequences for your spine. The constriction of nerves and blood vessels can then lead to back pain, such as muscle, joint, and disc troubles.

Additionally, the wear-and-tear associated with poor posture can lead to pain as your body tries to fight against spinal imbalances while staying as vertical as possible, says Ben Fidler, a personal trainer based in Washington D.C. During an interview with the Washington Post Fidler explained, “Bad posture wears down the body faster than it should.” If your head is forward, Fidler explains, muscles in the back of your neck are elongated while muscles in the front are contracted. This means that muscles, tendons, and other tissues are not working as efficiently as they could be.

One of the major differences between top athletes and the rest of us has to do with the efficiency it takes to move. “Top athletes can generate twice the force with the same body,” Fidler says. “They might use half the energy to stand up straight.” So what are the rest of us to do? Here are some suggestions for better posture.

Tips For Better Posture

• Roll shoulders back and center your head into alignment with your spine.
• Use your core to support yourself: engage your transverse abdominals and obliques by drawing air in towards your center.
• When sitting, keep your back flat against your chair with your shoulders tall and your head balanced above your spine.
• If you’re sitting at a desk, make sure to keep your arms bent at a 75 to 90-degree angle at your elbows.
• When walking, make sure to look straight ahead and keep your head centered directly above your spine. Keep your shoulders tall and step with your heel first, rolling gently to push off the front of your foot.

Alleviate Your Pain

Do you suffer from poor posture? Or perhaps you just experience a large amount of spinal-related pain and want to alleviate it? Either way, our expert chiropractic staff can improve your posture from a personalized treatment plan. To learn more about how to have good posture and for help with spinal alignment, contact Ideal Health Chiropractic today.

Considering the majority of our weight rests on our feet, it’s no surprise that foot injuries and abnormalities are increasingly common in today’s population. While you’ve probably seen various shoe inserts on TV and in stores, you may not be aware of all the benefits custom shoe orthotics can offer. Prescription or custom orthotics are specifically designed to fit the shape of your foot; they are uniquely crafted for you to perfectly fit the shape of your foot to create more comfort and support. They are especially beneficial for addressing a variety of ailments and issues, including plantar fasciitis and heel pain, arch pain, sprains, pain caused by bunions, and athletic pain. Although foot orthotics do not correct foot problems, they help to shift foot structures to increase functionality and reduce the potential for injury.

The Two Types of Custom Shoe Orthotics

Custom shoe orthotics are separated into two major categories.

The first, called functional orthotics, adjust irregular motion in the foot and ankle joints. They are often used to address injuries such as tendinitis and shin splints as well as to treat pain stemming from irregular movements. Functional orthotics are typically made from a harder material like graphite or plastic.

The second category consists of accommodative orthotics, which are meant to give extra support and protection. They are typically made from a softer material and are often used to address issues such as diabetic foot ulcers and calluses on the bottom of the foot.

Custom Designs In Denver

Although custom orthotics typically cost more than shoe inserts available in retail locations, the cost is well worth it. Custom shoe orthotics are uniquely made to fit the specific design of your foot, so they can address specific foot and ankle issues. They are also made of top-of-the-line materials which are more durable and will last longer than those purchased elsewhere. Often, insurance companies are able to cover part or all of the cost of custom orthotics.

Ideal Health can measure you for a custom shoe orthotic right in our office. To learn more, contact Ideal Health Chiropractic today!