Support Local Giveaway

As a way to support some of our favorite local business we did a Support Local Giveaway the 12 days leading up to Christmas!

What does that mean?

We gave-away git cards to some of favorite local businesses including The Butcher & Grocer, Fangs & Fur, Tan Wolf, Emmett’s Cafe, Kolache Republic, Basic Biscuits & Coffee, Grandview Theatre, The Ohio Taproom, Stauf’s Coffee, Tiki Botanicals Brekkie Shack and The Bookloft for the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

If you participated in our Support Local Giveaway thank you! If you weren’t able to participate this year we will be doing the same next year

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🌺The Science of Avoiding Spring Injuries Spring injuries aren’t bad luck or aging—they’re the predictable result of doing too much, too soon after winter inactivity. Sports scientists measure this using the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR): your current activity level divided by your average activity over the past month. This simple ratio helps to predict injury risk with remarkable accuracy. Research shows that maintaining an ACWR between 0.8-1.3 minimizes injury risk, while exceeding 1.5 doubles your risk, and exceeding 2.0 increases it by 3-5 times. Interestingly, extremely low activity levels also increase injury risk, creating a “U-shaped” risk curve. This explains why completely sedentary winters make spring injuries even more likely. The solution is straightforward: increase your spring activities by no more than 10-20% each week. Start at about 50% of your pre-winter capacity (half-day gardening sessions, 9 holes of golf instead of 18, 30-minute pickleball practices), then add approximately 10-20% weekly. This gradual progression keeps your ACWR in the safe range. Monitor your body’s response—mild soreness that resolves within 48 hours is normal, but pain that persists or worsens is a signal to scale back. By respecting your body’s adaptation timeline, you’re not limiting what you can do; you’re ensuring you’ll enjoy your favorite activities pain-free throughout the entire season. This isn’t about being overly cautious—it’s about working with your body’s natural adaptation process.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

🧐Ever wonder why injuries spike in springtime? The answer has less to do with bad luck and more to do with how our bodies adapt to changing activity levels. ❄️Winter deconditioning is real. During colder months, we drastically reduce certain movements (gardening, golfing, hiking). Our bodies respond by decreasing capacity in unused movement patterns. 💪The “use it or lose it” principle is biology, not just a saying. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cardiovascular fitness all decline when not regularly challenged. 🍃Spring creates an activity surge. Motivated by sunshine and warmer temperatures, most people double or triple their activity levels almost overnight: - From no gardening to full weekends in the yard - From minimal walking to 18-72 holes of golf in a weekend 😔Your body has adaptation limits. Research shows we can safely handle only a 10-20% increase in work per week. Beyond this, injury rates start to climb. 🏋🏽‍♂️ We respect this limit with athletes but ignore it for ourselves. Coaches carefully monitor training progression for sports, but we disregard these same principles in everyday life. 👴🏽That spring back pain isn’t “old age” or weakness. It’s a normal response to abnormal loading patterns – your body simply saying, “I need time to adapt to these demands.” 4️⃣Four simple steps to prevent spring injuries: 1. Start small– Begin with just half of what you think you can handle (18-36 holes of golf instead of 72) 2. Spread it out– Break activities into shorter, more frequent sessions (three 1-hour garden sessions vs. one 3-hour marathon) 3. Build gradually– Increase activity by about 20% each week (Week 1: 2hrs → Week 2: 2.5hrs → Week 3: 3hrs → Week 4: 3.5-4hrs) 4. Be patient– Give yourself a month or more to safely rebuild capacity This approach isn’t excessive caution – it’s smart training! You’ll actually get back to full activity faster by avoiding the setback of injury.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Pain is your brain’s way of protecting you - it’s like your body’s alarm system. Your body has sensors that pick up on things like heat or pressure, and they send messages to your brain. But these aren’t “pain signals” themselves. Your brain considers everything - these messages, your thoughts, past experiences, even your surroundings - and decides if you need protection. If it thinks you do, it creates the feeling of pain to get you to act. The interesting thing is that pain doesn’t always mean there’s actual damage. Just like a sensitive home alarm that goes off when there’s no real intruder, your brain can create pain even without injury, or long after tissues have healed. It all depends on whether your brain perceives danger or safety in a situation. That’s why the same injury might hurt more in different circumstances. Here’s the good news though - your brain is adaptable! This is called bioplasticity. Your nervous system can learn to be less reactive to perceived threats and produce less pain over time. Active treatment approaches where you participate in your own recovery are key - understanding your pain, gradually increasing movement, facing activities you’ve been avoiding, and finding ways to feel safer. While these aren’t usually quick fixes, chronic pain can definitely improve with the right approach and some consistent effort.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

One easy thing you can do today to improve your health. 🚶‍♀️ Go for a walk. Regular strolls can be a game-changer for our health. Especially those suffering from back pain. In fact a recent study shows that walking 3 times a week significantly reduces the chance of pain coming back. 📊 Fact: About 70% of those who recover from back pain face flare-ups within 12 months. It doesn’t have to be that way. 🔬 A 3-year study showed - Those who walked 3-5 times a week (averaging 130 minutes) stayed pain-free nearly twice as long as the untreated group. - Goal: Build up to 30-minute walks, 5 days a week. 🌟 Pro tip: Start small, then gradually increase your pace and distance as you get stronger. 💪 Remember, while it might seem counterintuitive, movement is medicine for back pain. “Most people’s instinct is to stay still, but exercise is key to long-term pain reduction.” ➕ Bonus: Walking isn’t just good for your back – it boosts heart health, strengthens bones, helps maintain a healthy weight, and improves mental well-being! 🤔 So, how often are you lacing up those walking shoes? (Source: The Lancet, DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00755-4)

You’ve been told you have arthritis - disc degeneration - bulging disc - spondylolisthesis - and to no longer: run, lift, pick up heavy objects, play soccer, skate, golf - do the activities you love. But we see - Disc Degeneration in 68% of 40 year olds with no pain. Disc Bulges in 40% of 30 year olds with no pain. Disc Protrusion in 37% of 50 year olds with no pain. Spondylolisthesis in 23% of 60 year olds with no pain. Your imaging is just a small part of what plays a role when it comes to your pain - and it might not be playing a role at all. Don’t let an imaging finding hold you back from enjoying life. You deserve an approach that focuses on getting you back to the activities you enjoy - not one that scares you out of enjoying life. Personalized rehab focused on you and your goals. That’s what we do at Optimize Chiropractic.

Age isn’t what’s causing your joint pain—it’s how you’ve been moving (or not moving). If aging was truly the culprit, both knees would hurt equally, not just one. The real issue is disuse and deconditioning that leads to poor movement control and improper joint loading, creating specific patterns of stress and weakness. Don’t accept “feeling old” as inevitable; instead, stay consistently active with activities you enjoy, pay attention to pain patterns without surrendering to them, adapt movements rather than abandoning them completely, and seek qualified guidance when needed. Your body has remarkable capacity to improve at any age when given the right stimuli, so don’t settle for less movement as you age—learn to move better and reclaim the active lifestyle you deserve.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ever notice how getting up after sitting for hours makes everything feel worse? There’s a reason behind this! When we stay still for too long, three important things happen: our muscles gradually weaken, our joints lose their natural lubrication, and—this is the fascinating part—our brain’s pain processing system becomes more sensitive. Prolonged inactivity actually lowers our pain threshold, making normal sensations feel threatening to our nervous system. Think of your joints like a door hinge in your house—without regular movement, it gets rusty, stiff, and starts to squeak with even the smallest motion. Movement doesn’t just benefit your muscles and joints. It actually helps recalibrate your brain’s pain perception. Regular movement keeps tissues healthy, maintains strength, and signals to your nervous system that movement is safe. This isn’t about pushing through pain or forcing yourself to intensely exercise everyday. It’s about finding movements your body can handle comfortably—maybe it’s just standing up every 30 minutes, gentle stretching, or a short walk around your home. The key is consistency over intensity. You can make remarkable progress simply by breaking up long periods of sitting with brief movement breaks. Your body was designed to move, and when we do, pain often begins to lose its grip.

“I just don’t move like I used to. Going up stairs is harder, playing with the kids is exhausting. I’m just always tired.” Sound familiar? This isn’t just “getting older” - it’s a cycle many adults fall into: 1. We experience pain or discomfort during activity 2. We reduce movement to avoid pain 3. Our body loses function from inactivity 4. When we try again, it feels harder and often causes more pain 5. We move even less, and the cycle continues The result? A steady decline in function and increasing difficulty with daily activities. Breaking this cycle starts with finding relief and identifying movements that feel good without triggering pain. This creates a foundation for progress. Next, establish what activities you want to return to and the time commitment you can realistically make. Setting meaningful, achievable goals creates your roadmap. The key principle is consistency over intensity. Regular, movement improves function better than occasional intense workouts. At Optimize Chiropractic, we guide you through this process with expert assessment, hands-on care, and personalized rehabilitation based on YOU and YOUR goals. There’s no need to stop enjoying your favorite activities due to pain - you just need the right process to get you back to moving, feeling, and healing better. That’s what we do.