The Decatur Back & Neck Center has moved to a new location!

Come visit us at:

3350 N. Water Street, Suite A
Decatur, IL 62521

We are located off of Rte. 51 North (Water St.) just north of Brettwood Village Shopping Center.

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In today’s hurried world, patients frequently will comment that they just don’t have the time to exercise.  Exercise is one activity investment that pays huge dividends.  For many people, aerobic fitness is often perceived to be something associated with countless hours pounding the highways and roadways in search of the elusive “runner’s high.”   Unfortunately, they are mistaken.

Aerobic fitness is an important component of physical fitness. When your muscles need oxygen, your aerobic (cardiovascular) system must be able to efficiently deliver it to them. When your body has waste products that need to be expelled (e.g. carbon dioxide and metabolic waste products), your body must also be able to come to the aid of your body.

The value and impact of aerobic fitness can extend your life. Research indicates that for every hour you spend exercising aerobically, you extend your life two hours. In anyone’s priority list, life and therefore aerobic exercise, has to be up in the top.

In addition to extending and improving the quality of your life, aerobic exercise also aids in relieving depression, preventing cancer and diabetes.  Studies have found that men and women who exercise are less likely to get colon cancer. Research has also suggested that women who do not exercise have more than two and one-half times the risk of developing cancer of the reproductive system and almost twice the chance of getting breast cancer.

Too stressed out for exercise?  Aerobic exercise relieves stress and anxiety. Exercise dissipates those hormones and other chemicals that build up during periods of high stress. Exercise also generates a period of substantial emotional and physical relaxation that sets in approximately an hour and a half after an intense workout.

Do not undertake an exercise program without checking with your doctor first.  Our Doctors of Chiropractic are trained in aiding you to develop an exercise program that is right for your body.  Before participating in exercise, you should learn the “rules” for developing aerobic fitness and implement them as an integral part of your regular conditioning routine. Similar to any of the critical tasks in your life, you need to consult with experts who can direct you to a systematic, ordered approach to ensuring that your body is in optimal shape. Quite simply, your health demands it, and your body deserves it!

We have often heard the adage, “You are what you eat.”  It turns out that this is absolutely the truth. Your diet can be tuned to give your body the extra kick you need.  Below are some power foods that can help build bones and muscle, boost your immunity and decrease the ravaging effects of arthritis.

Bone Builders:
Dried Plums (prunes) These shriveled up beauties are rich in copper and boron, which can help prevent osteoporosis.  The fiber in the prunes also helps to increase absorption of calcium in the gut.

Bok Choy Try this crunchy vegetable rich in calcium, vitamins A and C, folic acid, iron and potassium.  This also helps to lower your blood pressure, fight lung and bladder cancer as well as fight macular degeneration.

Bananas One banana has all the potassium your body needs for the day.  It helps to boost the nervous system, immune function and helps to metabolize protein.

Immunity Boosters:
Blueberries This is a tasty and potent fruit that prevents diseases ranging from cancer to heart disease.  3.5 ounces of blueberries contain more antioxidants than any other fruit.

Green Tea Four cups per day will supply the phytonutrients necessary to reduce the risk of most types of cancer.

Chili Peppers These peppers increase flavor of food without adding fat or calories.  One teaspoon per day or half a pepper is rich in beta-carotene to fight infection, inflammation and prostate cancer.

Inflammation:
Pineapples Pineapple is an anti-inflammation cocktail.  Half a cup, two to three times per week will add a great mix of vitamins, antioxidants and bromelin to aid the body.

Apples An apple a day will keep swelling down and at the same time reduce the risk of allergies, heart attack, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer.

Almonds This tasty nut reduces inflammation, lowers blood sugar and decreases cholesterol.  Eat a third of a cup per day with the skins on.

Wild Fatty Fish Mackerel, Wild or Pacific Salmon or Tilapia contains Omega-3 fatty acids protect the joints, heart and brain.  Stay away from Atlantic salmon or farm-raised varieties of fish.

Muscle Enhancers:
Tofu This is the best way to eat soybean.  Four ounces one to three times per week contain amino acids and isoflavones to help muscles recover from exercise.

Eggs Recent studies have shown that the fat in the yolk is so beneficial that it outweighs the cholesterol effect.  Most of your cholesterol comes from the liver, not the food anyways.  Three to four eggs per week help with muscle and brain function.

Low back pain is a very common condition, and one that is very expensive for our health care system. Experts estimate that chronic back pain costs the US about $100 billion each year in direct and indirect costs. As the authors of a new study write:

“One factor explaining these enormous costs is the high rate of recurrence and chronic disability related to low-back disorders…It has been suggested that only 10% of LBP patients generate more than 80% of the total costs related to LBP.”

Because of the enormous costs of treating chronic back pain, prevention is an important goal. This current study set out to examine the role of chiropractic in treating chronic low back pain. The authors studied 30 patients who had back pain for at least six months. All patients were subjected to a one-month control period that consisted of no treatment. This was included so that the researchers could observe the natural course of the back pain symptoms.

After this baseline period, half of the patients (Group 1) received intensive chiropractic treatment consisting of 12 treatments in one month, then no treatments for nine months. The other half of the patients (Group 2) received the same intensive treatment, but also received maintenance chiropractic treatments every 3 weeks for nine months. At the end of the nine-month period, both groups were again examined.

After analyzing the results, the authors found the following:

Pain levels were reduced in both groups of patients. The intensive month of chiropractic adjustments reduced pain, even without follow-up care.

Disability levels, however, showed a different response. For the patients with no continuing treatment, the disability levels returned to their pretreatment levels on the Oswestry. The Group 2 patients – who received maintenance care – continued to see improvement in disability scores over the whole nine months.

The following graph illustrates the differences between the two groups on disability levels:

The authors conclude:

“This study appears to confirm previous reports showing that LBP and disability scores are reduced after spinal manipulation. It also shows the positive effects of preventive chiropractic treatment in maintaining functional capacities and reducing the number and intensity of pain episodes after an acute phase of treatment. Maintenance chiropractic care involving spinal manipulation combined with other treatment modalities (exercises, pain management program) should be investigated. Such combined interventions may have a critical influence on pain, disability, and return to work.”

What Can I Expect?

By consulting our office, you’re taking an exciting first step toward better health. Chiropractic care is different. It is this difference that offers new ways to get well and stay well. We’ve helped a wide variety of people. So the first thing we offer is hope. You’ll recieve plenty of that here! The following information will help you know what to expect on your first visit to our office.

You’ll meet the doctor after filling out some brief paperwork describing you, your health, and your health goals. We’ll then study the results and give you a complete report of our findings. We’ll show you what we found and the conclusions we’ve reached. If we find that you’d benefit from a different practitioner, we’ll make the proper referral. Otherwise, we’ll recommend a program of specific chiropractic adjustments.

If you’re a good candidate for chiropractic care and we think we can hep, an examination follows. We’ll study the way you turn and bend. We may test your reflexes. These and other physical, orthopedic, and chiropractic tests help us locate areas of your spine that could be the cause of your problem. Our examination is thorough and will put you at ease.

With a plan in place to fulfill your health goals, future visits will take just minutes. The purpose of these frequent visits will be to locate and reduce your vertebral subluxations and monitor the healing process.

No. Chiropractic doctors don’t dispense drugs. Because we rely on natural methods, ask for directions on how to use ice to control any painful symptoms.

Will I have to have X-rays?

X-rays and other types of imaging can be helpful. Pictures of your spine, especially after trauma, can confirm our other findings and make your care more precise. We can tell if we need them after completing our other examinations.

How long until I feel better?

Some patients experience almost instant relief. Others discover that the healing process can take months, and sometimes years. Every patient recovers at their own pace. Factors which can affect the healing process include age, overall health condition, muscle tone, diet, and even your attitude.

When will I get my first adjustment?

It depends on your complaint and how long it may take to study your examination findings. This is a clinical decision and varies from patient to patient.

Will I recieve any medication for my pain?

No. Chiropractic doctors don’t dispense drugs. Because we rely on natural methods, ask for directions on how to use ice to control any painful symptoms.

Ready to start exercising? Start at the beginning. Whether you are a couch potato or have once exercised and now wish to get back on track, now is a good time to get started. If you can walk from the couch to refrigerator, then you can begin to exercise. To help you get started, I have amassed some simple steps to get one foot in front of the other.

Before you get started, it is best to understand where you are, before you know where you want to go. If you are a male over 40 or a female over 50, you should have a medical physical before you get started. No matter what is your age, ask yourself the following questions:

Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)

1. Has your doctor ever said that you have a heart condition and that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor?
2. Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
3. In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
4. Do you lose your balance because of dizziness or do you ever lose consciousness?
5. Do you have a bone or joint problem that could be made worse by a change in your physical activity?
6. Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for your blood pressure or heart condition?
7. Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?

If you answered yes to any of the questions, then you need to discuss your exercise intentions with your doctor. If you answered yes to two or more of the above questions, then you need to have an EKG to evaluate your heart. A biomechanical assessment from the feet up should be conducted by your chiropractor to prevent injuries during your exercise program.

Dr. Mario Fucinari D.C. is a chiropractic physician and director of Decatur Back and Neck Center. Contact us for an appointment today.

Chiropractic care for children is different from that for adults. Tailored to their age and weight, their adjustments often require no more pressure than you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato.

Children in our office enjoy their chiropractic care and look forward to their visits.

Many infants or toddlers will rub or tug at their ears. Subluxations are often found in children who suffer from chronic earaches. An impaired nerve supply can make their middle ear and eustachian tubes susceptible to fluid buildup or even infection. The traditional treatment of the antibiotic amoxicillin has shown that this compromises the child’s immune system functioning. Instead, restoring proper nerve supply with safe and natural chiropractic has helped thousands.

Without the language to explain what’s wrong, some newborns exhibit unexplained crying, lack of appetite, allergic reactions, or other difficulties. Newborns and infants often show a tendency to hold their head to one side or prefer breast feeding from one side. These are ways to cope with abnormal spine function and an impaired nervous system. Chiropractic care has been shown to be helpful for infants suffering from colic. As subluxations are reduced, more normal sleep patterns emerge. Many parents notice that other aspects of their child’s health improve as well. Chiropractors are alert to the many way nerve interferences can negatively affect your baby’s health.

The study revealed that women whose index finger is shorter than their ring finger might be more likely to develop knee OA. Men typically have index fingers that are shorter, however women usually have the same length ring finger and index finger. Women who have the shorter index finger are three times more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis. This predisposition was present regardless of age, Body Mass Index (BMI) or lack of physical activity.

If you flunked the index finger test, you cannot change the length of your finger, but you can take steps to decrease your risk of OA. Knee OA can be reduced with weight loss, wearing low-heeled shoes, a healthier lifestyle and taking Omega-3 supplements.

Children as young as five years of age through college students are being observed using backpacks. It is this diversity in age and size that poses a problem for strain on children. I have seen a marked increase in backpack related injuries to the neck, shoulders and back of students.

Textbooks seem to be increasing in size and weight. If you couple several books necessary for the school curriculum, they become too heavy, causing stress and injury to the shoulders, neck and upper back of a child.

To avoid injury to children and even adults, parents should be aware of some simple guidelines in choosing the correct backpack for the student. Many schools have banned backpacks with wheels and pull-handles, because of safety reasons. Therefore, it is important that the parent and student plan on a backpack that will not only accomplish the task, but also will be least harmful to the individual.

The American Chiropractic Association has issued guidelines for parents and students to decrease injury.

• Make sure the backpack weighs no more than 5 to 10 percent of his or her body weight. Anything heavier may cause your child to hunch forward in order to support the added weight.
• The backpack should never hang lower than four inches below the waistline.
• A backpack with multiple compartments gives the student added flexibility in distributing the weight effectively.
• Wide, padded straps lessen the stress on the shoulders.
• The straps should be adjustable so the straps can be fitted to your child’s body.
• A waist strap will help to distribute the load better so the lower back and abdominal muscles can aid in the lift.
• A padded back in the backpack will help protect the student from protruding objects inside the pack.
• Encourage your student to use both shoulder straps and the waist strap at all times.

Lastly, do not ignore your child’s pain. If you or your child experiences any pain or discomfort resulting from backpack use, contact your chiropractor. A child’s spine is like a growing young tree. Deformities such as curvatures, when caught early, many times can be corrected, thus avoiding permanent problems in their adult years.

Are you getting more headaches than you used to? Are you having neck cramps or back pain and can’t figure out why? The culprit could be your large, heavy purse. Trendy handbags and purses keep getting bigger and bigger – and you are filling them to the max.

Toting these bags around with us all day – which can easily weigh 15 pounds or more – can also lead to upper back problems. And since you might not notice the pain until later, when you’re working out or sitting at your desk at the office, the source of the pain often remains a mystery as the problem gets worse and worse.

The American Chiropractic Association recommends that handbags weigh no more than 10 percent of the owner’s body weight, but doctors point out that the rule was made assuming the weight would carried distributed evenly across your back, like when wearing a backpack.

Handbags that will be carried with the straps over only one shoulder should generally weigh less than 10 percent of your body weight to avoid injury. Also remember to switch the side you’re carrying it on often, and walk with correct posture, keeping your head and shoulders aligned and upright.