Catalina Medical Center: Blog

If you work in an office, you might have heard your coworkers talking about Office Ergonomics. But what exactly is it? And how can it help you? Ergonomics focuses on adapting your surroundings to accommodate the human body. Drs. Richard Cohen, Rob Josefsson, and Paul Newhouse of Catalina Medical Center recommend it to all patients. It improves your productivity, efficiency, and minimizes your physical discomfort. To learn more, contact our office in Redondo Beach, CA.   Your desk is the first thing you’ll adjust when adhering to office ergonomics. Making sure its best suited for your physical needs is vital. After all, you spend the majority of your work day there. Try to adjust your desk to best match your height. Place everything on your desk within proper reach. When it comes to sitting, have your feet on the ground at all times. You want your legs to be at a 90-110 degree angle. This allows for proper blood flow. Sit completely upright with your back straight against the chair.   F...

At Catalina Medical Center, we advise our patients who have been involved in an auto accident to see us for an evaluation.  Whiplash occurs when your neck and head are forced forward and backward rapidly. The day after a car accident is when you are most likely to experience pain in your head, neck, shoulder, and back. Those are common symptoms of whiplash which is the force that moves your neck backward and forward during accidents. Chiropractors use spinal manipulation treatment to relieve pain and increase mobility in your joints. We encourage our patients to look for these symptoms of whiplash after an auto accident. These symptoms include neck pain/stiffness, lower back pain, and blurred vision, ringing in the ears, headache, shoulder pain, and nausea. Our doctors are trained in Human Biomechanics to help diagnose and treat whiplash. The benefit of chiropractic care is a pain-free approach that doesn’t involve painkillers and other medications. Our number one concern is your healt...

With so many people staring down at their phones, it’s no wonder that neck pain is so common. We offer a variety of services at the Catalina Medical Center that are designed to restore a patient’s comfort and range of motion without unnecessary drugs or surgeries. But full recovery will likely involve some therapeutic exercises. We emphasize that professional testing is necessary to determine the cause of neck pain and whether exercises are appropriate. However, we find that people are likelier to come into a clinic when they have an idea of what to expect. We’ll recommend stretches to gradually increase the neck’s strength and flexibility. Some of these will probably include rotating the head, bending the neck a certain number of times, and holding poses. Patients will able to do more stretches and hold poses for longer as they heal. Stronger neck muscles will help bear the weight of the head, taking pressure off the ligaments and joints. Our chiropractors will also perform adjustment...

As holistic health practitioners, we at the Catalina Medical Center want our patients to understand the importance of vitamin D. This vitamin plays a crucial part in processing of calcium and the development of bones, which are continually resorbing and regrowing throughout life. Deficiencies in vitamin D not only lead to osteoporosis and all its associated harm to the spinal column, but also to muscle and immune system dysfunction. You’re probably familiar with dairy as a source of vitamin D, but a well-balanced diet contains plenty of excellent sources. Among them are fish, cereals, eggs, beef liver, mushrooms, and fortified orange juice (which also contains added calcium). People who wish to avoid meat or other animal products should consult with our nutritionists about supplements. Staying hydrated is also necessary for joint and disc health, and green leafy vegetables such as spinach are a commonly overlooked source of calcium, which vitamin D allows you to absorb. The other major...

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that causes pain and dysfunction in millions of people. It is what people commonly refer to when they complain about their joints getting stiffer as they age, although it is often confused with other conditions that are termed “arthritis.” Since May is Arthritis Awareness Month, we at the Catalina Medical Center in Redondo Beach thought this would be a good time to review what makes osteoarthritis distinct and what we can do about it. Our joints contain cartilage, which is a smooth and slippery substance that prevents bones from grinding into each other. The term osteoarthritis describes break-down in cartilage. As it becomes flaked and cracked, pieces of grinding bones may chip off and the ends of the bones may develop deformed growths. When people develop osteoarthritis early in life, it may be because of a genetic disorder that prevents them from developing healthy cartilage. More commonly, osteoarthritis is found in older people who may ha...