Hi everyone, so as some of you may know I am a big fan of deal sites like Groupon and Livingsocial and go on almost every night when I wind down from a long day to check to see what deals are now live and which ones I may have missed. A few weeks ago while doing very heavy stiff legged deadlifts in the gym I wound up hurting my back. It’s a common issue that happens when you lift more from your lower back than from your legs (which is the area you are looking to target). I didn’t realize it until probably a day or two later when my lower back was really sore and painful. I was having trouble sitting in my desk chair for long periods of time, noticed I was slumping and slouching a lot in order to relieve the pressure I was feeling. Needless to say, FORM for deadlifts is crucial and can really mess up your back! This prompted me to go on Groupon and see if I could find a deal for either a sports type massage or a chiropractic package.
I have never been to a chiropractor before but I did have a friend who was training to be one who gave me an adjustment once. It was a quick thing; a breath in while laying on my stomach and a quick push down on my back followed by a loud POP. It felt good but it was not a full blown alignment or exam. I found a deal on Groupon for $59 which included x-rays, a 60 minute massage and chiropractic alignment. It was for a place in Caldwell, NJ called “The Chiropractic Source.“
Here is the link to the Groupon deal if you live nearby: CLICK HERE
I bought the deal and made my appointment with Dr. Marco Ferrucci. The first thing we did was do a photograph on an iPhone app that helps to see where your eyes, shoulders and hips align. We then discussed my pain and concern areas so that we knew what to focus on during my massage. We then took the x-rays of my neck, side view of my spine and then of my hips facing forward. What we found was pretty interesting:
#1. My neck has a slightly straight line instead of the usual curve forward. He said this may be a result of a whip lash injury or a head trauma. (I have fallen a few times on my head/neck during my cheerleading days)
#2. My lower back actually curves in a lot more than I had thought it did. This may be why I find myself slouching sometimes
#3. The most interesting – that my right hip sits lower than my right which has caused my spine to slight lean toward the right side. This could be a result of a shorter right leg (by 5mm only, but enough that over time can cause your body to lean a certain way).
After having done my x-rays Dr. Ferrucci suggested I put a tiny lift or insole in my right shoe to help that leg sit a bit higher. He suggested that I wear this especially when wearing flat shoes and lifting. This was to help to set my spine in a more straight line and stop from the small lean I seem to have in my spine toward the “lower” hip. Below is an example of an x-ray similar to what i saw, but it is not my x-ray.
No one would probably ever know any of these things unless they went and had x-rays done at a chiropractor so I thought that was pretty cool. I only put the tiny insert in my shoe when I do leg exercise days at the gym. It has made a difference when I do things like squats or deadlifts since my hips are very even now. After this part of the visit I had the massage therapist do a 30 minute message and had her focus on areas of stress and soreness. She worked everything out and applied a good amount of pressure to those areas. A sports or chiropractic massage is very different than a regular “spa” massage. It is rougher and uses more force but it really does help if you have lots of knots or soreness. It felt amazing!
To learn more about what to expect during a chiropractic massage here is a great Youtube video below:
After my massage I was brought into a room with a very hard table that was low to the ground and told to lay down on my stomach – this is where you get your alignment. A chiropractic alignment does not feel natural, but you have to just relax and let the doctor do their work. If you fight what they are doing when they are moving you around you could hurt yourself. First I was told to breath in very deep and the doctor pushed down very hard on my back in various areas. You will hear a gasp sound come out that you can’t even control. It feels strange but you feel a huge release in your body! Then I turned over to my back and he put my head on a pad and pushed it down really fast and then twisted it a few different ways. I could already feel the tightness going away! The last part was on my hips and lower body; he had me swing one leg over to the side and then pushed down while pushing my hip away. I felt an immediate release in my hips and lower back.
After all this was over, which took about an hour and fifteen minutes I rest on a table with a pillow under my neck and foam roller under my knees with some ice. I was told to use only ice since any kind of heat or a heating pad may increase inflammation. You may feel sore a day or two after and you will notice your body cracking a lot more than usual, but for me it felt great. The staff was very helpful and friendly and the office was very clean and pleasant. Overall this was a great Groupon deal and I have noticed that since using my shoe insert I have had a lot less lower back pain and my form when doing certain leg exercises is much better. Below is a great diagram of how to do proper dead lift form to avoid lower back injury.
The key here is to make sure to have your back not round at the bottom outward, it should be a neutral spine. Above is a straight leg or stiff leg deadlift. Below is the deadlift I do now which helps to keep me in perfect form, it’s a hex bar deadlift:
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