What happens on the first visit at Sarrià Quiropráctica… The first visit with Stefan consists of a discussion of your case, a full chiropractic examination, then an explanation of what the examination revealed, and finally treatment… A consultation and history, discussing your reason for visiting: You will have the opportunity to explain your problem in…
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Beds, Pillows & Sleeping Positions. So Important! Beds, pillows and the positions you sleep in are frequent causes of spinal problems. We spend a third of our life in bed so it’s worth taking the time to get these factors right. The key to a healthy night’s sleep is to keep your spinal in a…
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Dizziness & Vertigo and Chiropractic There are several causes of dizziness and vertigo (including stress, medication, low blood iron, low blood sugar levels, calcified pieces in the inner ear, dehydration, overheating, and more serious neurological causes) but a common cause is neck dysfunction (“cervicogenic vertigo”). Part of the reason you know what position you are…
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Poor Posture and Chiropractic Your posture influences the function and movement of your spine dramatically. Some postural variations are genetic but the majority are caused by what we do all day. The biggest problem, by far, is being seated in a bent-over position with your head forward all day. When you are slouched forward—in front…
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Keep Your Spine Healthy… The single most important thing that you can do to help your spine is move. Movement flushes blood through the soft tissue, stretches local muscles, and breaks adhesions between local structures. It stimulates synovial cells in the joints between the vertebrae, which causes synovial fluid (a lubricant and source of nutrition)…
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There are five common causes of spinal dysfunction: Being in a poor position for the spine for a prolonged period, insufficient movement or exercise, stress, variation in the shape of the vertebrae, and poor lifting posture. Being in a poor position for the spine for a prolonged period: This is the most common cause of…
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Shoulder Problems and Chiropractic Shoulder problems are very common, and often serious, but the majority of shoulder issues are related to one simple concept that can be managed with the correct treatment. The shoulder is not a normal joint. Instead of a ball and cup, the shape of the shoulder is a ball and plate.…
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Low Back Pain, Sciatica, & Chiropractic Back pain can come and go, and is often caused by something that you have done recently, but chronic or recurrent back pain is an indication that there is an underlying problem. Spinal or pelvic pain can come from muscle spasm, inflammation, or nerve irritation, but what causes these?…
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Headaches & Chiropractic. There are many causes of headaches, but one of the most common is cervicogenic headache—headache with an origin in the neck. The reason the neck is such a common cause of headaches is simple—the nerves that supply the head with sensation pass between the neck vertebrae and through the muscles of the…
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Neck, Shoulder, and Arm Pain… Neck pain is extremely common. People spend a lot of time with their head forward… reading, using their mobile phone, or slouched in front of a computer. When you add stress into the equation, it is no wonder that chiropractors end up with a lot of neck and shoulder pain…
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English-Speaking Chiropractor in Barcelona… Stefan Becker is an Castilian and English speaking chiropractor with 30 years of experience that works in Sarrià, Barcelona. He specialises in gentle techniques and works with a range of problems, including back pain, neck pain, sciatica, headaches, and issues related to general health & well-being. Stefan opened his office—Sarrià Quiropràctica—in…
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Chiropractic and Your Health & Well-Being. Many people go to see a chiropractor to help with common, spinal-related problems such as lower back pain, neck pain, sciatica, disc protrusions, and headaches, but more and more people are realising that chiropractic is about so much more than just pain relief. Every now and then, vertebrae in…
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Neck & Shoulder Pain. The Solution. THE most common issue I see in my office is pain and stiffness at the base of the neck. I specialise in this problem and get great results with it. The modern lifestyle of spending a lot of time with the head forward and down causes joints to seize…
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Chiropractic for Children I’m often asked in my chiropractic center in Barcelona whether chiropractic care is ok for children. My answer is always the same, “Yes, there is never a more important time!” Here is why… When chiropractors complete a chiropractic examination for children, we check the movement and function of the spinal joints. The…
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Good Desk Posture… One of the most common causes of spinal problems (the kind that can cause back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, or affect our health and well-being) is poor desk posture. We tend to spend long hours with little movement when we are doing office work and this can cause the joints of…
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What are the most common cause of back issues (& sciatica)? Back pain is one of the most common health problems in modern society—but what causes it and why is it so common? (It’s the second most common problem I see in my chiropractic center in Barcelona). Most people tend to think of bending and…
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Chiropractic & Anxiety. Can it help? “Why do I feel so relaxed after a chiropractic adjustment?” is a question I hear often in my practice in Barcelona. How can releasing restricted vertebrae, or ‘subluxations’ as chiropractors call them, make people feel so different? Others comment that they slept really well after an adjustment, or that…
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Gym exercises that can damage your back… A common cause of back pain and back issues that I see in my chiropractic center is something that should be healthy for us—gym exercises! Exercise is the single most important thing we can do for the health of our spine, but with certain gym exercises you need…
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Improve Posture and Reduce Neck Pain With This Exercise. The most common problem I see in my Chiropractic Center in Barcelona is stiffness and soreness at the base of the neck. Chiropractic gets fantastic results with this. In fact, it’s my specialty because I see so many people with it! In the modern lifestyle, we…
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The Must-do Gym Stretch… There is one particular muscle that I see in my Chiropractic Center in Barcelona that causes a lot of back pain and gluteal problems, especially in gym goers… the Rectus Femoralis muscle. If you get a sore back from standing for a while, this may be the cause, especially if you…
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What IS the cost of visiting a Chiropractor in Barcelona? If you are considering visiting a chiropractic center here in Barcelona, especially if you have a significant issue, the price per session is a consideration. There are a few systems chiropractors tend to use for payments. Some use a yearly fee, or monthly fee, which…
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To understand Chiropractic, understand it’s history… Chiropractic began on September 18, 1895, when Daniel David Palmer of Iowa, USA, performed the first chiropractic adjustment which restored the hearing of janitor, Harvey Lillard. Palmer had been studying the spine and was fascinated by the relationship between the spinal movement and the spines ability to protect the…
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How To Release Jaw Tension, Headaches, and TMJ pain TMJ problems and tight jaw muscles often go hand in hand, so whether you get pain in your Temporomandibular Joint pain, OR headaches on the side from clenching, OR grinding your teeth… do all of these exercises as a complete set. For each exercise make sure…
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What happens when a Chiropractor crack you. Do joints need to crack? There’s plenty of misconceptions about ‘cracking’ joints and chiropractic so in this blog I’ll explain what these cracks are, why they happen in some chiropractic techniques, and whether this is important or not… Sometimes joints in the spine get restricted in a certain…
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Should You Crack Your Own Spine? I’m a chiropractor and yet when I see people showing me how they ‘crack’ their own neck or back in my chiropractic office in Barcelona it makes me cringe. Why? The answer to this is ‘specificity’. Let me explain… When spinal joints get stuck in a poor position, causing…
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Physio or Chiro? A lot of people find it difficult to know if they should see a chiropractor or a physiotherapist for their ailments. One is not better than the other, they just do different things. Physiotherapists are the people you want to see for rehabilitation after surgery or an accident. They work more on…
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How long does a chiropractic adjustment last? A chiropractic session can take anywhere between 3 minutes and 20 minutes depending on the chiropractor and the technique. Releasing a single, restricted joint actually takes less than a minute. There may a few areas that need to be released, but the actual total adjusting time is not…
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How long does it take to ‘realign’ your spine? How long it takes to return a spine to optimal performance depends on how long it has had the problem. The longer the joints have been restricted, the more the body and muscles adapt to the problem. If the dysfunction started recently, it can sometimes be…
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Once Chiropractors “put the bones back in place” is it fixed? “Why do chiropractors make you keep coming back?” Many people tend to think that a chiropractor “puts the spine back into place”, so once they’re ‘back in place’ that should be it, but the reality is that chiropractors are loosening restricted joints where the…
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Are chiropractors Doctors? What do they study? In most countries in the world, you don’t need a medical degree to be a chiropractor. It is a completely separate course to medicine. Most people are surprised that on average chiropractors study for the same, or even more, contact hours (4826 hours) than a medical doctor (4667…
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Are Chiropractors legal? In some countries chiropractic is not legally recognised, or you need a medical degree to practice as a chiropractor. This is despite chiropractic being recognized as a health profession by the World Health Organization (O.M.S.). And chiropractors studying as many hours as medical doctors. Here in Spain, chiropractic is in a ‘legal…
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How will I feel after chiropractic treatment? The most common thing that people say after a chiropractic session is that they feel “lighter”, “looser”, or in less pain. Sometimes they notice this after just one session, sometimes it takes a few. This is a good indication that the treatment is working. More chronic problems usually…
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“What does a chiropractic adjustment do for you?” Chiropractors work mainly on the spine and aim to improve the overall function and movement of the spinal joints. By releasing restricted joints chiropractors aim to decrease any irritation to the spinal nerves. To release these joints, chiropractors usually (techniques vary) push with their hands on the…
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Massage or Chiropractic? When there is tension in the body around the spine it can be hard to figure out if you need a massage or a chiropractic visit. Both release muscle tightness but through different ways. The key is to find the underlying cause… What does massage do? Massage will rub or compress muscles…
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The best clothing options to visit the chiropractor… What to avoid wearing to visit a chiropractor: Thick sweaters or ‘polo neck’ tops unless you have a thin shirt or t-shirt underneath so you can take off the outer top. Tight, high-rise jeans, especially if there are lots of studs and buttons. Short dresses. (A modesty…
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What are the most common chiropractic techniques? There are lots of different techniques that chiropractors can use. Most chiropractors use a few, depending on the case. Some techniques involve pushing with the hands, and some use certain instruments to help. Others use a movable mechanism in the table the patient lies on. Only a few…
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Will I be sore after the chiropractor? After visiting the chiropractor for the first time, the most likely sensation will be that (i)you don’t feel any different (yet!) or (ii) you feel looser, lighter, or more relaxed. It usually takes a few sessions to notice improvements in symptoms, but some people will feel relief after…
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How do chiropractors help with muscle tightness and soreness? Chiropractors can help muscle pain in three ways. Via a reflex relaxation of muscles after manipulation By giving exercises to relax the muscles And by any soft tissue work (massage) they might do. When dealing with muscle pain it is always important to look at the…
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Do chiropractors actually straighten spines? Chiropractors free up restricted spinal joints. If, for example, you spend too much time sitting slumped, or with forward head posture, the spinal joints can become stuck in these poor positions and chiropractors can loosen up those joints again. This, along with exercises for the muscles, can help to improve…
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What can a chiropractor do to help fix your posture? Postural problems come from three things: poor habits, tight or weak muscles, and restricted spinal joints. A chiropractor can advise you on the first two and loosen up the spinal restrictions. Poor habits cause poor posture When people talk about poor posture, they are usually…
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What is the thing that chiropractors use that sounds like a stapler? 63% of chiropractors use a device called an “Activator” to help loosen restricted joints in the spine. Patients tend to call it the “clicky thing” because of the noise it makes. Some chiropractors only use this device and nothing more, but most chiropractors…
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Chiropractors release stuck, restricted joints in the spine and part of the skill of a good chiropractor is properly assessing where they should ‘adjust’. There are a few ways that chiropractors do this. Static Palpation The first way is called “static palpation” where the chiropractor simply feels the spine with their hands. Here she/he looks…
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Some people love having their back cracked, they’re obsessed with it. Other people want anything to get relief “but just don’t crack my back.” However, the reality is that the results you get from visiting a chiropractor has very little to do with whether the joints crack, or how many joints in your spine pop.…
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What are the cracks that I can hear in my knees, shoulders and knuckles etc? There are two ‘cracking’ sounds that can come from the body: (i)a joint separations, and (ii)a tendon flicks. Joint Cracks Joints have a fluid called ‘synovial fluid’ in them, and they are airtight. If you separate the two surfaces in…
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When A Chiropractor Cannot Help You There are few instances where a chiropractor cannot help you. Here are some (but not all) of them: SUPER-acute Back Spasms If your lumbar spine has become so tight or inflamed that you cannot stand up, it is usually too inflamed for a chiropractor to work on. (Especially if…
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At what stage is pain too bad to visit a chiropractor? It is fine to visit a chiropractor when you are in pain (many people do), but it depends on the degree of pain. If your back or muscles feel tight, it hurts to move, or you can’t move much, a chiropractor can adjust…
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Can you go to the chiropractor if you feel ok? (If you don’t feel any symptoms) Yes. Just because you don’t feel any symptoms doesn’t mean your spine is moving the way it should do. Symptoms often only appear when the spine is functioning very poorly. Chiropractic is great at alleviating pain and symptoms, but…
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“Straight” chiropractors and “Mixers”?? A question of focus. Some chiropractors focus mainly on the musculo-skeletal health of their patients—helping to reduce pain, stiffness, and restriction. Chiropractic can offer great relief to patients by freeing up restricted joints, not only in the spine but in many other joints of the body. In many cases, muscle…
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How to know when you need an adjustment? The short answer is that you can’t know for sure whether you need a chiropractic adjustment or not, because the symptoms are not always obvious. Chiropractors don’t even know without getting checked by another chiropractor. But there are some tell-tale signs. Shoulders/Base of Neck The…
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Is yoga better than chiropractic? Yoga and chiropractic have a lot of similar benefits, but their ultimate goals are quite different, so you can’t say that one is better than the other. In fact, used in conjunction with each other, they can form a formidable combination for health and wellbeing. What does Yoga…
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How to tell if your chiropractor is good Trying to decide whether to stick with your chiropractor, or try someone new? What makes a good chiropractor for some people is not what makes a chiropractor good for another, but here are some things to consider. Results. Most people don’t feel much after one chiropractic session,…
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Do chiropractors require x-rays with every patient? The need for x-rays when seeing a chiropractor is a hotly debated subject. Some chiropractors x-ray almost every patient because they feel that it gives them very valuable information about the spine. Eg: Is there degeneration in the sliding joints of the spine, affecting movement? Does…
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Should I bring my MRI to the chiropractor? MRIs show something quite different to x-rays. They show different densities within the body, so apart from bone, they can show the discs between the vertebrae, the nerves, and atrophy in some muscles. This is particularly useful if your chiropractor suspects a disc protrusion, but most cases…
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Is it safe to crack your own spine? You can mobilise and stretch your own spine, but ´realigning´ (releasing the right joints in the right direction) your own spine is pretty much impossible to do. Chiropractors can’t even do it to themselves. So, what´s the real difference between mobilising and ‘realigning´ your spine? …
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How to avoid knee pain with exercises Knees really only move in one plane of movement. So, the key to keep them pain free and functioning properly is muscle balance. You don’t want muscles on the inside or outside of your leg pulling the knee—or kneecap—one way or the other too much. (This can make…
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