Dr. Eve Choe - Toronto Chiropractor + Posture Expert
info@drevechoe.com l 416.297.8599
1730 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M6P 1B3 
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Spinal Health Awareness - World Spine Day

10/14/2022

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October is Spine Health Awareness Month, with World Spine Day on October 16th. It serves as a reminder of how important your spine is, highlighting the burden of spinal pain and disability worldwide, as well as the importance of proper spinal health and how it impacts Ontarians, Canadians, and the rest of the world.

Health Canada reports that 11 million Canadians experience musculoskeletal conditions each year, which is more than cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease combined. Further, the Canadian Pain Task Force estimates that about nine million Canadians will suffer from chronic pain by 2030.

This year’s World Spine Day encourages people to take steps to be kind to their spines. As you know, back pain is one of the main causes of emergency department visits, and one of the leading causes of initial opioid prescriptions. It also affects many marginalized communities, including people living in poverty and veterans. Left untreated, back pain can significantly impact one’s quality of life and lead to chronic pain, but not everyone is aware of these facts.

Here are Some Tips to Improve Your Spinal Health

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Set Posture Breaks
Did you know that sitting in one position for longer than 30 minutes can cause problems in your low back? Avoid this by changing positions and stretching frequently. Set a reminder to take regular posture breaks on your phone or computer, or add a note or sticker as a visible cue. 
 

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Maintain Good Posture
Poor posture can cause neck and back pain. It can also lead to other health problems, such as headaches, shoulder pain, and even nerve damage. When poor posture becomes chronic, it can cause irreversible damage to the spine. Explore our blog for lots of tips on posture!   

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Drink Water
Water is the most important thing to drink for a healthy back. It allows nutrients to travel to the major organs, remove waste, and maintain function in the joints, organs, and most importantly, the spine! The main part of your spine is made up of 24 bones, or vertebrae. Wedged between your vertebrae are little jelly-like discs that protect the spine by acting as shock absorbers as you move. They prevent your vertebrae from rubbing together, but in order to do this, these discs rely heavily on fluids. Water is continuously lost and reabsorbed and when your discs don’t rehydrate enough, they shrink. This forces the outer layer to take on more stress, which eventually leads to swelling and pain.

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Get Moving
Stretch, go for a walk, incorporate a weight training routine, strengthen your core.

Your back and abdominal muscles are both part of your core which is essential for stability, mobility, and flexibility. When your core is weak, it can produce pain that extends beyond just your lower back up into your shoulders and neck, and down into your hips and legs. Strengthening these muscles can improve posture and relieve pressure off your back. A strong core reduces your risk of injury. 


Here are some fun fall activities that will get you active:
  • Visit a pumpkin patch
  • Explore a corn maze
  • Go apple picking
  • Take a scenic hike and admire the changing leaves
  • Take your kiddos to a playground and join them!

When To Seek Help
If you are experiencing chronic pain that worsens over time or becomes debilitating, or if you would like a spinal check up to maintain a healthy spine, call our office at 416-297-8599 or book an appointment online. ​
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Essential Self-Care Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs

2/14/2022

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Guest Author: Jennifer McGregor of PublicHealthLibrary.org
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Entrepreneurship is exciting, but it's also stressful. When the burden of success rests entirely on your shoulders, it's easy to sacrifice your personal needs in service of your professional goals. That's why it's so important to be intentional about self-care - by taking steps to stay healthy and whole, you can avoid burnout and steer the business with a clear head.

Create an Ergonomic Workspace

Whether you work from home or in an office, ergonomics matters. A well-designed workspace is essential for neck, back, and wrist health.
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Ways to adjust your work area:

  • Raise the computer screen. The top edge should be even with your eye level. Place the screen 20-24 inches from your face.
  • Select a supportive chair. The backrest should fit the curve of your spine. Adjust the seat until your thighs run parallel to the floor. If you're short, you may need a footrest.
  • Watch your wrists. Configure your desk and chair so your wrists are parallel to the desk. This neutral position reduces strain.

Move Your Body

Entrepreneurs tend to spend hours sitting in front of the computer. Exercise is one way to ward off back pain and neck strain; it also reduces stress and keeps your heart and lungs in shape. You don't need to spend hours at the gym — the American Heart Association recommends just 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

Some activities include:
• Fitness videos or classes
• Jogging or brisk walking
• Fitness-oriented yoga
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Biking

Take Time to Relax

When you have a business to run, it can be hard to fathom taking the time to do nothing. If you can step away, however, you'll find that a 15-minute relaxation session has big benefits; it can ease stress, reduce anxiety, and improve your sleep quality. You'll return to work feeling fresh and focused. 

Try these relaxation techniques:
• Meditation
• Gentle yoga
• Technology-free walks
• Deep breathing
• Acupuncture
• Calming visualization

Streamline Your Business

If you're feeling stressed about work, the right business activities can be a form of self-care. Improving your operations can also improve your life. 

Ways to save time and make your company more efficient include:
• Creating standard operating procedures
• Outsourcing or delegating noncritical tasks
• Automating wherever you can

Are you worried about finances? Grants can provide peace of mind and get your company back on the right path. Here in Toronto, Canada, opportunities include Toronto Arts Council grants and University of Toronto grants. Stand out from the competition by tightening your business plan and spending time creating a riveting application. It's also helpful to understand grant requirements and search for industry-targeted awards.

Cultivate Healthy Work-From-Home Habits

If you're running a business from home, it's hard to take a break — there's always something to do, and your laptop is never far away. Don't worry about finding a perfect work-life balance. Instead, take small steps to make time for both personal and professional activities:
• Respond to emails and calls during work hours only
• Put your computer in another room during family time
• Schedule gatherings with friends in advance
• Separate your workspace from your living space

Consistent self-care can help you stay calm and focused at work. If neck and back pain is affecting your productivity, book an appointment today for gentle, stress-relieving chiropractic and acupuncture care.


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January 14, 2021 Update: We are OPEN

1/14/2021

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Sleeping Posture

5/5/2020

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I often find poor sleeping habits contribute to chronic neck or back issues. A question I commonly get asked is: what is the best way to sleep for good posture? Read on to find out.

✅Sleeping on your back or side keeps your spine in the most neutral position, If you choose to sleep on your side, make sure to support your pelvis with a pillow between your knees.

✅Take a look at the type of pillow that you use. If you sleep on your back, you need a lower pillow. Remember that the neck is what really needs to be supported vs. your head. If you sleep on your side. there’s a bigger negative space between your head and shoulder, so you need a firmer and higher pillow.


✅Tuck the bottom of the pillow above the shoulders. The pillow should support your neck, not your shoulders. 

✅Medium-firm mattress is best. A mattress that is too soft will cause the heaviest parts of your body to sink, while a too firm mattress will not support the curves of the spine. 

A good sleeping posture will improve the quality of your sleep, improving your overall energy and mood. Sweet dreams! 


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Hello May! Happy Posture Month

5/5/2020

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Happy Posture Month! In honour of posture month, I will be posting posture tips on my Instagram page @drevechoe as well as some on the blog throughout the month of May.
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When Bad Posture Happens to Good People

3/6/2020

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​How to fix the habits causing your bad posture so it doesn't ruin your look — or your back

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Written by: Andrea Kerr for The Werk
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If you work from a couch, or even from a desk, you've probably made peace with hunched shoulders and a mildly achy neck — but did you know that slouched posture has serious consequences for your image and your health? “If you have bad posture, people assume that you’re not confident,” says Eve Choe, a Toronto-based chiropractor who offers a 12-week posture workshop at her clinic. “You appear shorter and people assume you’re tired.” Poor posture also has negative health consequences like “chronic fatigue, muscle fatigue, headaches and back pain. You can have sleep and digestive problems, difficulty concentrating. It causes so many issues,” Choe says.
 
But contrary to popular belief, super-straight military posture is not the ultimate goal. Instead, “good posture maintains three natural curves in the spine at the neck, mid-back, and low back,” says Choe. When you look in the mirror, your eyes should be level, as should your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. From the side, your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should create a straight line that, again, maintains the natural curves in the spine.
 
If you frequently notice that you appear slouched in photos or videos — or that your grandma’s always bugging you to sit up straight — try these tips for correcting the habits that cause bad posture in the first place.

1. Check your smartphone.
Lately, the most common form of bad posture that Choe sees at her clinic is the forward head tilt — and one of the main causes is smartphone use. Many people spend hours on their phones each day texting, answering emails, and posting on social media, and they hold their phones in their laps, which causes neck strain. The correction? “Bring your smartphone to eye level instead of bringing your head down to it,” says Choe.

2. Adapt your workspace.
“Laptops are built for portability,” Choe notes. “They’re not built for our bodies. Often, we will hunch forward so we can have our eyes level with the monitor of the laptop.” To correct this posture, consider purchasing an external keyboard or monitor so that you can space them to work for your body when your posture is at its best. Also, try to avoid sitting on soft couches or armchairs to work because they will likely raise your knees above your hips, which then rounds out your lower back. Instead, choose a chair that allows you to sit directly on your sit bones (not on your tailbone) with your knees at 90 degrees to your hips.

3. Take frequent breaks.
It’s time to curb your habit of staring at your computer screen for three, four or five hours straight — even if you have the perfect office set-up. “A good tip is 20-20-20,” says Choe. “So every 20 minutes, try to get up for 20 seconds and look 20 feet away. It also gives your eyes a break.” If you can’t break every 20 minutes, aim for every hour.

4. Think long.
Don’t think “straight” when you’re trying to correct your posture, because a healthy spine isn’t straight. Instead, imagine a string attached to the top of your head and pulling you upwards. Your shoulders should be back, yet relaxed, and you should maintain the natural curves in your spine.

5. Work it out.
When working to correct bad posture, Choe gives her clients plenty of exercises to do at home. She loves head retraction and scapula retraction exercises, in particular. “For head retractions, you bring your head in toward the body with your chin tucked,” she says. “You don’t look down. You don’t look up. You bring your head straight back. With a scapula retraction, you squeeze your shoulder blades together.” Choe also likes to strengthen the muscles that stabilize her clients’ shoulder blades by recommending wall angels, which are snow angels performed up against a wall.

6. Change your sleep habits.
How you sleep each night can have an effect on your posture throughout the day. “Sleeping on your back keeps your spine in the most neutral position, but side sleeping is also good,” says Choe. If you choose to sleep on your side, make sure you support your pelvis with a pillow between your knees. Also, take a look at the type of pillow that you use to support your head. If you sleep on your back, you need a low pillow. If you sleep on your side, “there’s a bigger negative space between your head and shoulder, so you need a firmer and higher pillow.”

7. Book an appointment with a chiropractor.
A chiropractor can make adjustments that “restore mobility and movement back into the joints in the spine,” says Choe. These adjustments can also relieve stress that’s placed on the body when there’s a locked or restricted joint. After your adjustments, ask your chiropractor for additional at-home exercises to correct your specific posture concerns.
 
Bad posture is a habit that you’ve developed over several years. Give yourself the time to correct it (Choe says it will likely take at least 12 weeks) and you’ll see improvements in your health and the image that you project to your colleagues, employers and future clients.
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The Link Between Texting and Back Pain

11/16/2017

4 Comments

 
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This isn’t another article about modern phone habits. We know we’re all working hard (right?). But you might want to watch your posture to avoid health issues.

Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, one of the top spinal surgeons in the United States, conducted a study on “text neck” and concluded that loss of the natural curve of the cervical spine can lead to early degeneration of the spine. His study showed that an adult head weighs an average of 10-12 lbs. in a neutral position. However, when you bend your head forward about 60 degrees to look down (like on your phone), your head is now the equivalent of 60 lbs to your body.

Modern strains

Because of modern-day hand-held technology, according to Dr. Scott Bautch, from the American Chiropractic Association, “When children have poor posture it tremendously speeds up the gaping of the spine. What we are seeing is degeneration of the spine at younger and younger ages.”

But smart phones aren’t the only culprit in poor posture. Spending hours at a time at a desk, or watching TV, without moving can also be detrimental to your posture. Even with ergonomically designed furniture and standing desks, it’s important to break your posture, or move, every 15 minutes.

“You develop imbalances and you are more likely to hurt yourself in any activity you do.”

It’s all about balance

By sitting in the same position for hours at a time, poor posture overworks one set of muscles while the other set of muscles are underworked. “You develop imbalances and you are more likely to hurt yourself in any activity you do,” concludes Dr. Bautch.

There are things you can do to alleviate some of the modern-day stresses on your body and spine. For starters, always make sure your screen, whether computer screen or smartphone, is at eye-level so you aren’t hunching over. Dictate your texts — that’s what Siri is for. And of course, take a break every 15 to 30 minutes. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

Source:
Media Planet
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Minimize Pregnancy related Back Pain

5/23/2017

8 Comments

 
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Did you know that at least half of pregnant women experience back pain? And 10% of those report discomfort severe enough to disrupt their daily routines. The good news is that there are steps you can take to protect your back during pregnancy.

What causes pregnancy-related back pain in the first place?
When pregnant, it’s normal to gain more than 30 pounds. This extra weight places considerable stress on your back, feet, ankles and knees. As your baby grows, your core abdominal muscles become stretched and cannot stabilize your posture as well as they did before.

In the third trimester, levels of a hormone called “relaxin” increase by a factor of ten. Relaxin loosens your joints to allow the pelvis to accommodate the enlarging uterus. These loose joints force the muscles of the back and pelvis to work overtime to keep you upright and balanced, leading to back pain.

TRY THESE TIPS TO HELP MINIMIZE YOUR RISK OF BACK PAIN:

​Exercise
Exercise can go a long way to increase muscle support for an aching back. A health care practitioner should always be consulted before starting a new exercise regimen. Low impact cardiovascular activities, such as swimming, walking, or stationary cycling can help relieve pain and maintain fitness.

Sleep Position
Sleep on your left side to reduce the pressure of your uterus on the large blood vessels in your abdomen, optimizing blood flow to both you and the baby.

Pillow Position
Place a pillow between your knees to take pressure off your lower back when sleeping on your side.

Support Your Body
With the added weight, support has never been more important. Wear flat, supportive shoes and use a lumbar support pillow in your chair at home or work. If you sit at a computer or desk, walk around for a few minutes each hour.

Take Breaks
Take frequent, short breaks with your feet elevated. Adequate rest restores your energy and gives your back a chance to relax.

​Get Adjusted Regularly
Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy balances your pelvis, eliminating undue tension to muscles and ligaments and enhancing optimal fetal positioning.

courtesy of the Ontario Chiropractic Association.

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5 Ways Pregnant Women Benefit from Chiropractic Care

3/2/2017

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Pregnancy is an exciting  time in a mother-to-be’s life. Although joyous, expectant mothers undergo significant amount of changes as the baby develops. The back, neck and joints are the areas of body that tend to suffer the most. Along with an OBGYN, a chiropractor is a welcome addition to a woman’s prenatal care team. Chiropractors can help manage back and joint pain issues so that they don’t become an issue during delivery or impact a woman’s recovery time post-pregnancy. Here are 5 key ways chiropractors can help:

1. Chiropractic care keeps the spine in alignment

Pregnancy adds significant additional weight to a woman’s body in a short amount of time. This change bears on the spine, frequently pulling it out of alignment. When this happens, the pain can be quite severe. Chiropractic care during pregnancy works to keep the spine in alignment and all supporting tendons working optimally, to be better prepared and able to adequately support the extra weight.

2. Chiropractors can reduce the need for pain relievers by treating underlying issues.

Most times, individuals experiencing moderate pain pop a couple of over the counter pain relievers and think nothing of it. However, pregnant women strive to avoid medications when possible.

Chiropractic adjustments decrease the underlying issues that cause pain, so the patient relies less on medications. Experiencing less pain as well as eliminating the need for pain killers is a win-win situation for expectant mothers.

3. Chiropractors can help strengthen joints. 

Pregnancy really beats up an expectant mothers joints. Chiropractic care for expectant mothers is a productive way to minimize the effect the large, protruding abdomen has on her hips, legs, and ankles.

Treating the body as a whole, chiropractic treatment works to strengthen the body and promotes healing of injured or strained areas.

4. Chiropractors can help achieve pelvic alignment making the birth process go more smooth.

An aligned pelvis is critical to the birthing process, and increases the chances of being able to give birth naturally. According to the American Pregnancy Association,

“When the pelvis is misaligned it may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. This restriction is called intrauterine constraint. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery. This can affect the mother’s ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth.” 

An experienced chiropractor can effectively align the pelvis before delivery, so the mother is able to deliver with little incident.

5. Chiropractic care increases the body’s ability to bounce back

Let’s face it, every pregnant woman thinks “will I ever fit in the clingy red dress again?” The healthier and stronger a woman’s body is before and during pregnancy, the easier it is to get back into shape once the baby is born. Eating right and safely exercising are effective ways to accomplish this.

Chiropractic care is also a valuable component to fitness. Expectant mothers who choose chiropractic enjoy better posture, less pain, and increased mobility, especially late in the third trimester.

This allows them to maintain exercise routines and be active longer than those suffering from back pain and achy joints. After the delivery, it’s easier to get back into a fitness routine, and into that red dress, if the new mother’s joints, back, and hips are aligned and functioning properly.
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Chiropractic care can serve to reduce pain and increase the overall heath of expectant mothers, letting her relax and focus on the more pleasant aspects of pregnancy. Expecting women who commit to chiropractic care can look forward to a stronger body, the chances of a smoother delivery, and an easier recovery after the baby comes.

This article excerpt, by Porterfield Family Chiropractic, was published June 15, 2015 and originally appeared here.

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    Dr. Eve Choe is a Toronto-based chiropractor, and certified posture expert, acupuncture & orthotics provider. 

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​​COPYRIGHT DR. EVE CHOE 2023 l ecdesigns l 1730 Bloor Street West Unit 3, Toronto, ON, M6P 1B3 l 416.297.8599 l info@drevechoe.com
Chiropractor, Acupuncture, Massage, Orthotics, Posture Correction, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Pregnancy & Webster Technique, 
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