As much as we love to see our patients and to help them recover from their pain causing injuries, we would naturally prefer that you never have to be in pain to begin with! Our Rochester chiropractor, Dr. Ron Fried, is here to guide you through every step of recovery from pain, but today Dr. Fried and our staff would like to offer some tips on how you can stay healthy and avoid seeing the chiropractor.

Tips from Our Chiropractic Staff

Our Rochester chiropractic staff has three easy to follow tips that can actually help you avoid trips to see Dr. Fried, if you do them properly and on a regular basis. Read over the following tips to find out just how easy it can be to avoid chiropractic care.

Proper Posture at All Times

Use proper posture and you can help avoid curvature of the spine. When you are walking, let your arms swing naturally, and keep your chin up rather than facing down. Keep your back straight and your chest slightly pushed forward. Never hunch those shoulders over, stand tall and proud.

Work on Your Stance

Your stance is very important in keeping your spine in proper alignment. Keep your weight evenly situated with feet planted firmly, whether you are walking or standing. When you consistently put too much weight on one particular side it can cause undue pressure on your spine.

Stretch Your Neck Regularly

Did you know that some simple neck stretches can help keep your neck mobile and can even help keep the joints lubricated? Do a daily exercise in which you stretch your neck in each direction, as well as up and down. Don't strain yourself, just make sure that you are stretching enough to feel comfortable.

We are always happy to provide tips for our patients, so please let us know if you have any other questions.

What steps do you take to prevent back pain and body pain?

A headache, whether from a hangover, stress, or other condition, is something everyone wants to avoid. A newly introduced hangover pill that promises to stop headaches, nausea and feelings of tiredness, seems to be the magic trick to keep hangovers and other pains away for good. Before you rush out to purchase a pack of this magic pill, you think of the other costs of relying on medication to treat what ails you.

Headache Types and Causes

People usually suffer from either a tension or a migraine headache. Cluster headaches, more severe versions of migraines, are more rare. Tension headaches occur when the spine and neck muscles are tense, due to stress in the body or poor posture. Several factors, such a diet, light, and the weather can contribute to migraines.

Alternatives to the Hangover Pill

Taking a dose of 500 mg of aspirin will banish headaches and neck pain temporarily, but consider the side effects of repeatedly taking a strong dose. The pill also contains caffeine, which does dull pain, but can also make you feel wired and jittery. Instead of relying on quick fixes and magic potions, try adjusting your lifestyle to be friendly to your body.

Rochester chiropractor, Dr. Ron Fried, uses massage and chiropractic care to treat the underlying causes of head pain and other body pains. If you suffer from frequent tension headaches, a spinal adjustment may be exactly what you need for lasting relief. Dr. Fried combines adjustments and spinal manipulation with overall lifestyle changes to keep the pain away.

Chiropractic care for pain relief can also be combined with massage therapy at our Rochester clinic and lifestyle advice. Massage therapy can focus on trigger points on your body to relieve migraine pain. Additionally, changing the way you sit or working to reduce the amount of stress in your life will reduce the number of headaches you suffer from. Avoiding known migraine triggers, such as caffeine, stress, and poor sleep, will keep migraine pain away.

Do you suffer from chronic headaches? What natural methods do you use to relieve them?

Did you know that driving offers opportunities to improve back health through simple practices that can strengthen and protect your back? Our team at Dr. Ron Fried Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Rochester Hills, MI is here to help you turn take advantage of a simple routine to reduce neck pain and improve core and upper body strength.

Four Tips to Improve Chiropractic Health Behind the Wheel

Let’s start with the basics. According to our chiropractor, very small changes can remove big risks. One of the most common risky behaviors for women is driving in high heels. High heels create an uneven surface for breaking and accelerating that can have unexpected and unpleasant results. Taking a moment to remove those fantastic peep toe pumps can help you respond more reliably and quickly to road hazards.

Let’s focus on your core, your "seat belt muscle." While sitting at a light or in slow moving traffic, flex the abdominal muscles by tensing and relaxing. Strengthening your seat belt muscle can prevent or lessen lower back injuries during impact by taking pressure off the muscles in your back and building up your abdominal core muscles.

Try driving “push ups.” With your hands at 9 and 3 o'clock to maximize resistance, push inward toward the center of the wheel. You should feel the flex in your biceps, forearms and pectoral muscles. With your hand in the same position, push forward on the steering wheel. This small change will put the muscles work into your shoulders and upper back muscles. Relax and repeat each action 6-12 times.

Our Rochester Hills chiropractor, Dr. Ron Fried can tell you that tightness and tension build-up in the neck can worsen auto injuries. Minimize it by keeping your head and neck engaged in the work of keeping an eye on traffic. Stay alert and safe while you swivel your head from side to side and angle it up and down to check your mirrors and blind spots.

These four simple tips can help protect your body if an accident happens and even if you’re fortunate enough to avoid accidents, your body will benefit from these simple strengthening exercises.

Do you do any minor strengthening exercises in the car? Share them with our readers below.

Whether your neck pain stems from an accident, a sports injury, or muscle strain, it can really be a pain in the… neck. Pain in the neck often manifests as a stiff feeling, making moving your head difficult. Neck problems are also linked to tingling, weakness, or numbness in your arms and hands.

These uncomfortable symptoms are quite common. According to Harvard Medical School, 70% of people experience neck pain at some point. The good news is that pain in the neck responds well to chiropractic treatments, such as those offered by Dr. Ron Fried’s Rochester chiropractic practice.

Why is Neck Pain So Common?

The human heads weighs about 11 pounds, weight that your neck supports and turns every day. Years of normal use -- as well as over- or misuse – can lead to pain in the neck and related symptoms, such as headache and TMJ pain.

Poor posture also contributes to neck pain. The neck is most comfortable in a neutral position; however, many of us spend hours hunching in front of computers or bending over desks, all positions that lead to strain and pain. Any activity that moves the neck out of neutral for extended periods of time -- like reading in bed -- exacerbate neck pain.

The way you sleep may aggravate pain in your neck. If your pillow is angled too high or too low, your neck moves out of neutral and into awkward angles. Stomach-sleeping places stress on the neck, as do too-hard pillows and non-supportive pillows and mattresses.

Accidents and falls can cause neck and spine trauma, resulting in whiplash, vertebral fractures and other injuries. Medical conditions such as fibromyalgia, cervical arthritis, ruptured discs and spinal fractures can also contribute to neck pain.

Rochester Hills Chiropractor Treats Neck Pain

Chiropractic care and massage prevent, ease and relieve neck pain -- along with associated symptoms like headaches and TMJ pain. For 22 years, Rochester chiropractor Dr. Ron Fried has been relieving neck pain. Our chiropractic care center in Rochester Hills offers health and wellness services that vanquish neck pain and get you back in the game.

Have you recently suffered from neck pain? What caused it and how did you find relief?

Whether you’re a professional athlete or just hitting the gym for exercise, a sports injury can turn you from an all-star to a benchwarmer. Without proper treatment, back pain, neck pain, a strained ligament or a pulled muscle can lead to chronic pain. Worse, if your body fails to properly heal, you will be at risk for future injury. The good news is that chiropractic care and physical therapy from our Rochester Hills chiropractor Dr. Ron Fried can help you get off the sidelines and back in the game.

Rochester Hills Chiropractic Care Helps Sports Injuries Heal

Traditional medical care relies on prescription medication to dull sports injury pain. Unfortunately, medication cannot correct the underlying cause for an injury. This leads many patients to mistakenly believe that their bodies are healing when they are really not—causing patients to aggravate their injuries and create future problems.

Dr. Fried has been a chiropractor for the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Pistons and the Detroit Tigers. He understands sports medicine inside and out – and knows exactly what to do to help patients recover from an injury. Dr. Fried begins by identifying the underlying cause for pain. Many injuries are the result of a misalignment in the body. A herniated disc, for example, may compress nearby nerves, leading to pain sensations in the shoulder, back, legs or buttocks. Restoring the herniated disc to proper alignment corrects the underlying cause for pain, helping patients heal.

In addition to chiropractic adjustments, Dr. Fried offers physical rehab treatments. These treatments, such as electrical stimulation therapy, naturally complement chiropractic adjustments. For example, electrical stimulation therapy uses a mild electrical current to reduce swelling, treat inflamed soft tissues, and promote internal healing.

Following a sports injury, the body may naturally adjust its movements to compensate for the injured body part. Unfortunately, this can lead to strains on new muscles and tissues. For other patients, a sports injury may leave the body sore and stiff. Corrective care exercises are a safe way to restore a full range of movement and flexibility to the body, and retrain muscle memory.

Has a sports injury sidelined you?