[licia]

Again the direction that GOOD chiropractic practices are taking these days is much more of a whole body approach – strengthening weak muscles and correcting imbalances working with the soft tissue. they used to just crack and go – which DOES NOT WORK – for exactly the reason you stated not dealing with the root of the problem – and chiros that still do this give the rest a bad name (V you said as a kid – thats what 15 years ago?)

just like stretching can only take you so far with your flexibility, then have to incorporate the resistance stretching.

however your muscle build up scar tissue from exercise and strengthening (what is building muscle – it is micro tears in the muscle itself which then heal to become stronger/denser/more compact) stretching can only go so far sometimes the fascia (what encase the muscle) gets stuck – there are also many nerves that run through the muscle and fascia network – you have to apply pressure to it (the muscles and fascia) to "break up" that scar tissue – hence where you say massage can help. Active Release Technique (ART) is widely used by many professional athletes, people in the fitness industry, Olympic athletes and many marathon type athletes. it is a type of pressure applied to the muscles while they are being activated or stretched to get into the problem areas – much more of a focused/targeted thing than just an overall massage though.

any way proper treatment all depends on the particular problem an individual is having – first and foremost is the communication the patient has to have with their chiropractor and the discussion about what has caused or could be the cause of the problem in the first place.

[licia]

simple, easy, cheap investment – jump rope – work your way up to 2 min increments – try for a total of 10min (in those 2 min incriments). (the handles should come up into each of you armpits while you are standing on the rope) it should swing easily.

[licia]

It is good that you posted about this – there are many so-so chiropractors out there and the general public should be well informed about what to expect in a chiropractor – there are still many old school chiros out there that believe in this silly philosophy about how the body has an innate ability to heal itself if the spine is properly aligned – this is OLD SCHOOL and as far as im concerned WAY outdated! we have much more scientific proof now of how important soft tissue (fascia and muscles) are in body pain and problems.
you are 100% right about the alignment thing – if you go to a chiropractor to fix a problem the chriopractor (any chiropractor worth going back to) should be helping you to get to the root of the problem.
not JUST adjusting you. a GOOD chiropractor should work very much like a physical therapist. however it is the patients responsibility to follow up with their own care – which often it the problem.
our bodies work from the ground up. issues with our feet (including things like the shoes we wear), our knees, the leg lengths (or discrepancies there), our hips, our core all can cause major muscle imbalances and pain in our bodies. again an GOOD chiropractor will work with the muscles, analyze gait problems ect. I personally have 1 leg shorter than the other and my spine is quite curved (fortunately not noticeable with clothes on but very noticeable in my xrays). these problems will never go away – i can do exercise that help balance out these problems but basically due to being lopsided i will ALWAYS have discrepancies with how much force the same muscles (but on opposite sides of my body) will pull on my bones which will over time and given the type of activities i do cause pain and problems if they are not manipulated (usually by a chiro) every once in a while.

[licia]

biggest thing here is that not all chiropractors are good! I have worked with at least 6 different chiropractors and will, myself be starting chiropractic school in january. but at one point through interactions with a terrible chiropractor almost decided not to go. however i have since worked with one that is incredible and has helped me work out many physical problems (since i abuse my body in the fitness industry, along with poling). Should you hurt a bit after adjustments? sometimes/maybe. should your chiropractor show embarrassment at or about your poling – no! its unprofessional also his reaction shows he doenst know how to work with someone who does those kinds of activities (when a chiropractor comes up against things like that they should educate themselves on the mechanics of the said activity (maybe he has since you spoke with him) – and like roxy-pink said – should tailor his adjustments to your needs and activities. Most important thing to do is speak up – repeatedly if necessary about the discomfort and pain you are having – if he doesnt explain himself or keeps doing exactly the same thing it is definitely time for a different chiro!!!

[licia]

My aunt and uncle live in dartmouth so its quite easy for me to go down there. i also have a portable chrome 50cm x-pole. we actually dont have any good clubs on the north shore (i live in salem) – that i have heard of. there might be some over the boarder in NH though. it would definitely be fun to get together.

[licia]

hi i live in the north shore of MA. I would be interested.

[licia]

whats with the vodka? why not just regular old isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol? seems the vodka wold be better use to numb the pain after your done your poling tricks, lol!

[licia]

im not sure how often you are practicing – but if its every day there is a strong possibility of over training, your muscle are simply not being given enough time to recover (heal). many people feel that after taking a whole week off (trust me, i know that’s like impossibly hard) they come back quite a bit stronger.
i also found things came very easy for me at first too also by taking a few days off in-between pole work my mind had time to sort out what my body was supposed to do (visualization). i personally do some type of exercise during those days off to keep my mind-muscle connection well connected (lol).
Athough i usually tend to stick to the pole there are certain "dry days" (maybe the air and/or my hands) i slide. thats when i bust out the hand cream. i know a total no-no but i have found that nutrogena has a hand cream (its very thick and called just that- hand cream) – with my body chemistry it makes me a bit tacky on the pole – now that might not work for you but there might be another kind that does. (if you do decide to try it and it doesnt work you still have a really great moisturizing lotion)

[licia]

before i answer this i need to ask what may sound like a silly question. is the pain your feeling actual pain of the bone(s) or is it pain of the muscles (between the bones of your ribs)?