Improving blood flow to improve your athletic performance

During workout

Better blood flow, in which sufficient oxygen reaches your muscles, allows you to effect a longer and more beneficial workout. As you move, your heart rate rises and your heart pumps blood to all the parts of your body which are necessary to keep you moving at this higher level. Your metabolic rate then increases, meaning that your body needs more energy to keep going without feeling fatigued; it acquires this energy by producing ATP, an energy molecule whose two main inputs are glucose and oxygen. A healthy circulatory system ensures that oxygen is getting where it needs to be in your body during workout. 

Post workout

In the period immediately following your workout, you should be intaking protein and nutrients that will help your muscles rebuild from the micro-traumas that they incur during exercise. Better blood flow means that these nutrients will reach your muscles in the right quantities to facilitate effective regrowth. 

Athletes should make good blood flow a priority

At Community Chiropractic & Acupuncture in Park Slope, we use acupuncture to help improve blood flow in athletes, helping them get the most out of their activities. Acupuncture stimulates circulation by dilating blood vessels and decreasing muscular stress. If you are interested in using acupuncture to effect improvements in your athletic performance, give our office in Brooklyn a call to schedule an appointment today. 

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Using acupuncture needles to deactivate trigger points

Once a trigger point is located, we use thin needles to release them. This has been found to be one of the most effective ways of treating trigger point related pain and dysfunction. By deactivating the trigger point, we restore normal function to the muscle and reduce referred pain in other parts of the body. Athletes benefit from dry needle trigger point therapy in the following ways: 

• Pain relief 
• Restoring normal muscle function
• Improving circulation
• Improving range of motion

If you are interested in using acupuncture for trigger point pain, give our office in Park Slope a call to schedule an appointment today. 

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Keeping an eye on overuse injuries at Park Slope Chiropractic 

Here is how to discern whether that dull aching is typical post-workout soreness or an indicator of something more serious: 

• Soreness sets in during activity or shortly after
• Soreness in the same area over weeks.
• Most often felt in joints or the surrounding regions

Classic example of overuse injuries include: hip and elbow bursitis, tendinitis in the wrists, shoulder impingement syndrome and tennis elbow. These injuries are primarily joint-related and respond well to acupuncture treatment. 

Acupuncture treatment for overuse injuries

Acupuncture is tailor-made for athletes because it focuses on regulating the flow of energy throughout the entire body, and can be specifically targeted to account for overuse injuries. Acupuncture enhances blood circulation to an injurious region, bringing nutrients and oxygen, and carrying away lymphatic material and other waste. This works to enhance the body’s ability to heal itself. At Park Slope Chiropractic, we specialize in using acupuncture to help athletes overcome overuse injuries.  If you are interested in using our services to overcome an overuse injury, give our office in Brooklyn a call to schedule an appointment today. 

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Acupuncture for male infertility 

Stagnation happens. In the male reproductive system, stagnation of the blood contributes to higher temperatures in the scrotum, decreased sperm production and an excess of metabolic waste products. Remember that optimal sperm production occurs at a temperature between 1-2 degrees celcius below your core temperature. Stagnation of blood in the male reproductive system is an important factor in solving male infertility; fortunately, acupuncture solves stagnation.

How acupuncture for male infertility works

Whether your sperm count or quality is below normal, acupuncture is a great choice for improving both factors and increasing your chance of conception. Acupuncture improves circulation that contributes to a cooler scrotum, more nutrients and less metabolic waste. At Community Chiropractic & Acupuncture, we are a fully licensed office of acupuncture that specializes in the treatment of infertility. If you are interested in using our services to address the quality of your sperm and increase the chance of conception for you and your partner, give our office in Park Slope a call to schedule an appointment today. 

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Acupuncture for athletes in Park Slope

Acupuncture is effective for athletes because of a variety of factors: 

• It is personalized to the individual
• It is 100% natural 
• It harnesses the body’s innate healing power
• It is non-pharmaceutical 
• It balances the body

When we meet with an athlete who is considering acupuncture treatment, we have a conversation to determine their specific goals: are you managing on ongoing or recurrent injury? Are you lacking in flexibility? Does it take you too long in between sessions to recover to a normal threshold? 

From here we select a personalized map of acupuncture points in order to treat said person’s unique needs. In terms of healing, acupuncture is especially effective at treating inflammation and reducing swelling, boosting range of motion and reducing pain. If you are interested in finding out more about acupunctures role in an athletic lifestyle, give our office in Brooklyn a call to schedule an appointment today. 

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The Cox Technique has shown great efficacy in treating the symptoms associated with spinal stenosis 

Surgery should be a last resort when it comes to spinal stenosis. We have found great success treating people with more conservative methods: chiropractic, noninvasive therapy and exercise allows people to keep the pain down and live well. The Cox Technique is one of the best modalities we have for managing spinal stenosis. It works because: 

• Opens the spinal canal area
• Reduces intradiscal pressure

This method of flexion-distraction provides a soothing decompression to narrowing spines and allows for great improvements in spinal stenosis symptoms. 

Living well despite spinal stenosis

It is an unfortunate reality that our spines are not designed to live as long as we are (at least not anymore). However, if you are suffering the effects of spinal stenosis, there are ways to make your life easier! Consider giving our office a call to schedule an appointment and learn about how the Cox technique can help with your spinal stenosis starting today!  

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Why is sleeping with poor posture harmful

Poor sleeping posture would like something like sleeping on your stomach  After a night of this posture, the spine is likely to become misaligned and you are likely to experience a day of dull aching in the lower back. And while we can’t convince all stomach sleepers to flip onto their backs, there are steps you can take, like using a support pillow under the abdomen to prevent the spine from reversing its normal curvature. 

Take control of your sleep life

If you are interested in flipping the script and making good sleep posture your norm, give our office in Park Slope a call to schedule an appointment today. We can help resolve pre-existing pain that is caused by vertebral misalignment so that you can sleep more soundly. 

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So what does a balanced body look like? From a physical standpoint, it means that your body is in equilibrium- that unquantifiable state of being in which the different parts of your body work together in perfect harmony to support one another and distribute pressure equally. Even the least active person in the world is going to incur some pressure throughout the day, (chiefly through sitting, one of the hardest positions on the human body); a balanced body ensures that your likelihood for injury is at a minimum and your ability to perform your best is maintained. And of course, a balanced body begins with a properly aligned spine. 

Asymmetry in the body sets the stage for injury 

So what happens when your spine falls out of alignment? Asymmetry is a common result- one side of the body different than the other which usually translates to one side of the body incurring more pressure than the other. There are many factors that pull your spine out of alignment, including the presence of muscle tension, reduced mobility or pain that causes you to favor one side over the other. 

How does chiropractic address asymmetry and maintain balance in Park Slope

We start with a comprehensive physical examination to determine whether asymmetry is affecting your muscular development or if subluxation is hindering your physical development in any way. Using chiropractic adjustments, we restore alignment to the spine, increase range of motion and reduce pain. If you have tight muscles that are creating a pull on the body, we use modalities such as trigger point therapy and active release technique to release soft tissues from tension. 

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Neuro-acupuncture is a new technique that combines the tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western scientific research regarding the function of the brain. Acupuncture is well known for its capacity to optimize the body’s natural mechanism for healing and now acupuncture is being studied as a treatment for disorders of the brain. Neuro-acupuncture has shown great promise in treating both acute and chronic nervous system disorders with very few side-effects. 

What conditions can be treated with neuro-acupuncture

• Stroke
• Paralysis
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Bell’s Palsey
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Neuropathy
• and more

How does neuro-acupuncture work?

There are three forms of neuro-acupuncture which are all based upon the functioning of the nervous system. 

1. Scalp acupuncture: targets points on the head and directly impacts the central nervous system.
2. Auricular acupuncture: targets points on the ears and impacts the central nervous system. 
3. Biomedical acupuncture: also known as Integrative Neuromuscular Acupoint System, this type targets acupoints throughout the body that affect both the peripheral and central nervous systems. 

What to expect with neuro-acupuncture

We target acupoints, both in the head and throughout the body, that correspond to your particular condition and insert thin needles to stimulate the body’s nervous system. The needles are left in for 30 minutes in which time many people find their breathing will slow and feelings of relaxation will set in. 

Your neuro-acupuncture specialists in Brooklyn

At Community Chiropractic & Acupuncture, we are your go-to resource for neuro-acupuncture in the Park Slope neighborhood. If you are interested in finding out how acupuncture can help with your neurological condition, give our office a call to schedule an appointment. 

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We won an award for being one of the best chiropractic offices in Brooklyn. 🙂

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