Catalina Medical Center: Blog

At Catalina Medical Center we treat patients and relieve pain, but patient self-care is just as important for their continued health. Simple changes to everyday habits can help you to live a pain-free life.  Many people spend a lot of a typical day sitting, between working at computer desks and commuting to work. All of this sitting can cause back pain, making it the most common reason patients visit the chiropractor.  Making a few adjustments to how you sit can ease this stress, help alleviate back pain, and minimize future visits. You will actually put less stress on your back when you sit up straight.  Long periods of sitting are what really increase the risk of muscle pulls, strains, and cramps. So if you don’t have time to walk around and stretch at the office try switching between sitting and standing. If you suffer from back pain, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn more about all the treatments we provide, visit  CatalinaMedical.com  for more info...

The body goes through many changes during pregnancy, and some women experiencing pain and discomfort assume there will be no relief until the due date. But that’s not true! At Catalina Medical Center, we can help expectant mothers maintain a healthy pregnancy with prenatal chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic care during pregnancy is a safe and effective way to care for a woman’s changing body and prepare for delivery.  In later stages of pregnancy when the abdomen begins to protrude, the back and pelvis respond to this change. For some women this can result in a misaligned spine or joints. Maintaining pelvic balance and alignment during pregnancy is possible, and prenatal chiropractic adjustments can help.  A healthy pregnancy benefits the mother and baby, all the way through to labor and delivery! To learn more about chiropractic adjustments and all the services we provide, v isit CatalinaMedical.com for more information.  To schedule an appointment at the Catalina Medical Center,...

The staff of Catalina Medical Center helps patients rehabilitate from all kinds of injuries.  The method of icing an injury, called cryotherapy, is known to provide cooling relief and help numb painful soft tissue injuries. Applying ice safely by using an ice pack or cold compress is an excellent way to treat muscle spasms and injuries like sprains and strains.  If icing an injury does not provide relief or your pain worsens, contact us for help. After an injury, affected soft tissue will be inflamed and icing the area reduces inflammation and pain, as well as cools the skin to constrict blood vessels and heal the area.  The healing effects of ice pack therapy can also be helpful after a flare-up in chronic pain like in the back or knee, and is a cheap option or at-home relief. Cryotherapy is an effective way to manage pain at home without medication, and we also provide custom cryotherapy in the office. To learn more about cryotherapy and all the services provided at the practice, vi...

Sprains and strains are common injuries that share similar signs and symptoms but involve different parts of the body. Adults and children who play contact sports such as soccer, football, wrestling, and hockey are put at risk for sprains and strains. So are folks who play sports that feature quick starts, such as running races or marathons. Regardless of the type of injury you encounter, at Catalina Medical Center, our doctors can treat it. But first, we’d like to let you know what the difference is between a sprain and a strain. A sprain is a stretching or tearing of the ligaments – the tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect two bones together in your joints. The most common location for this type of injury is your ankle. A strain is defined as a stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon. A tendon is a fibrous cord of tissue that connects muscles to bones. Strains have the tendency to occur in the lower back and in the hamstring muscle on the back of your thigh. Treatment for t...

Electrical Muscle Stimulation is an exceptional way to help the body in the healing process. If there is a spasm in the back or neck muscle, this therapy is ideal for relaxing the muscle and allowing it to bounce back to its natural state rather quickly. At Catalina Medical Center, we utilize electrical muscle stimulation to alleviate nerve pain, muscle spasms, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Electrical Muscle Stimulation Devices (EMS) has been advertised to increase muscle strength. This is accomplished by placing electrodes on the skin that send a very small electrical current into the affected soft tissue injury or muscle spasm. Electrical Muscle Stimulation therapy utilizes this current in an effort to help reduce swelling, as well as inflammation and releases, trigger points that may have the muscle locked up. It does this by helping the body to release natural relievers of pain often referred to as endorphins. If you have questions or concerns regarding chiropractic care or...

Whether you work nine-to-five in a cubicle, or perform heavy lifting on the job, following proper ergonomic principles can improve your overall health, prevent musculoskeletal disorders, and most importantly, keep you safe in the workplace. Poor ergonomics is not only a hazard to your posture, but it can affect your productivity levels as well as increase your risk of work injury. Our doctors at Catalina Medical Center urge you to avoid injury through these ground rules. All work activities should permit the worker to adopt several different, but equally healthy and safe postures. Where muscular force has to be exerted it should be done by the largest appropriate muscle groups available. Work activities should be performed with the joints at about mid-point of their range of movement. This applies particularly to the head, trunk, and upper limbs. No matter what the job is, the goal is to make sure that you are safe, comfortable and less prone to work-related injuries. If you have quest...

The staff at Catalina Medical Center offers a variety of treatments for chiropractic issues. We recommend cold laser therapy for patients experiencing acute or chronic muscle pain in the neck, back, or shoulders. If you have acute or chronic muscle pain and chiropractic adjustments haven’t helped you, cold laser therapy could be the solution for you. Cold laser therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free solution with no adverse side effects.  This therapy can be practiced almost anywhere on the body to promote healing and alleviate pain. Patients suffering from sprains, arthritis, and tendonitis are often recommended this treatment because it also helps reduce inflammation. The laser is a small handheld device placed directly on the skin in the affected area. It uses light to stimulate affected muscle tissue, and has the ability to penetrate two to five centimeters below the skin. The laser is applied to the affected area for anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes at a time. Treatments ...