GRIT – Grounded Resilient Inspired Tenacious

Thoughts about grit, grounding, resilience, inspiration and tenacity by Dr. Shouka from ChiroActive Therapy in Tustin, Calfornia
Mo Shouka DC, QME

“Grit bridges the gap from where you are and where you want to be.”

Let’s get Grounded

Do you have grit? What is grit? If you look at the word GRIT as an acronym you can say grounded, resilient, inspired and tenacious. First of all the foundation to grit is being grounded. Being grounded provides a strong foundation that  can be relied upon and has to be based in some sort of logic and common sense. As a result of a strong foundation strong roots can burrow deep into the earth and produce a towering tree of knowledge. You have to have a strong base knowledge to tap into. You can build higher after you establish a strong foundation.

How resilient are you?

Do you break under pressure or do you bend like the reed? Are you able to spring up after you have been pressed down? You have to be able to bounce back and persevere no matter what the challenge or obstacle is. Another important component of grit is resilience. To be resilient means that you always keep on pressing and keep coming back. To be resilient means that you’re not a quitter and you continue to search for options and solutions.

What is your Passion?

To have grit, you must have inspiration. It sure is helpful have some kind of “Guiding Light” to direct and motivate you. Take time to recognize where true north is for you. Have a vision of where you’re going with some clear set goals. Be passionate about your goals and get excited to accomplish them. This is what it means to be inspired. Try and relate to other people that have attained similar goals that you would like to accomplish. Learn and pick up subtle attributes from these people. You will learn more and become adept at the skills that you need to get to your goals by surrounding yourself with people that have accomplished similar goals.

It takes Grit! So Stick to it!

Putting it all together means never accepting no as the final answer. Do not let disappointments stop you from your dreams. It is essential to get back up and keep moving towards your goals.  This is what being tenacious is all about. Being tenacious does not mean that you are being rude. It means that you are being patient, resourceful and able to adapt to situations.

So, what does grit mean to you? Do you have it?

Benefits and Pitfalls of Swimming for Sport and Fitness

Reviews and Testimonials

Chiropractic to Improve your Strength and Health

Clearing the systems for better health with chiropractic
Chiropractic affects the muscles, bones, blood vessels, nerves and glands

Now serving Tustin and neighboring communities

Chiropractic is great for treating tight muscles and relieving stress. We can  treat trigger points and muscle spasms. Chiropractors are experts in removing nerve pressure. You can improve communication between the brain and body.  You get better movement, more strength and less pain when we restore correct joint movement.

Strengthen muscles and ligaments

This type of chiropractic helps to stabilize the weak ligaments. We can correct the movement of the body to strengthen the muscles. Lifting and carrying is more efficient with better movement and leverage. This results in stronger bones, joints and ligaments.

Lymphatic flow and detoxification improve with chiropractic

Treatments improve circulation and relieve tension. The lymphatic system removes toxins from the body. This is necessary for better health and more energy. Better blood and lymph flow allow nutrients to reach the cells. The fluids are also the detox pathways for your cells.

Chiropractic is safe and effective!

You can achieve greater levels of success by combining the mind and spine.  We use mental imagery during the treatment sessions to improve the healing process.  When indicated, this can be the missing link to bring relief. It will allow the tight muscles to melt away. Our type of chiropractic is safe, gentle and effective.

Tustin is centrally located in the heart of Orange County. We look forward to seeing you.

Mo Shouka, DC

ChiroActive Therapy
13031 Newport Ave, Suite 116
Tustin, CA 92780
714-535-6535

Low Back Pain Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Tustin Chiropractor for Chiropractic, Pilates, Nutrition, Sport and Spine Therapy

 

Tustin Neck Pain Chiropractor- Injury and Rehab Chiropractor

About Us

Low Back Pain Causes, Treatment and Prevention

What you should know about Low back pain

Low back pain can vary from a mild ache to an extremely debilitating situation. Four out of five people will have to deal with low back pain during their lifetime. There are many causes for back pain and many different types of pain to experience.

When you are suffering from low back pain it is important to get the right advice and treatment. Because many people have had to deal with back pain there are often many different types of recommendations for your back.

Not all low back pain is the same

Just because that approach worked for somebody doesn’t mean it will work for you. The other person’s back pain may or may not be the same as yours.

The key to getting a quality treatment for your low back pain is through understanding what is actually causing the problem. There are many structures in the low back that can produce pain.

The main causes of low back pain

Often times pain is caused by muscle spasms that can be extremely painful. Another reason for low back pain can be caused by a sprain in the back where the ligaments have been stretched. Low back pain can occur due to injury to the spinal discs.

Many times the pain in the low back is due to stress coming from other places in the body. Pain can be referred from an underlying disease process. Even tightness in other parts of the spine can cause the lower back to hurt. In addition, tightness in the sacroiliac joints can contribute to many low back conditions as well.

Weakness in the low back muscles or in the abdominal muscles can contribute to low back pain. When there is weakness in the core muscles, the spine has to endure unusual forces that it was not designed for.

Treatments for low back pain

People can take medications to manage their low back pain. It is common for medical doctors to prescribe anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants to manage low back pain. Some doctors will recommend heat therapy and other doctors recommend cold therapy. What’s more is that some doctors will recommend both heat and cold.

How to stabilize your low back

It is important to understand if the structural Integrity of the low back spine has been affected. If there is ligament laxity or disc involvement then a careful course of spinal stabilization has to be initiated.

To restore balance and integrity to the spine we must consider tightness of the joints and ligaments, weakness of the muscles and removing nerve irritations.

3 steps to a better back

First, tightness and stiffness can occur in the muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons. We must check for the stiffness and tightness and try to relieve the spine from it.

Next we have to see which muscles need to be activated to restore proper function. Some muscles can become weak and prevent the spine from moving correctly. This can cause the spine to break them.

Most important, we have to see if any nerves are being compressed or compromised. Nerve irritations can perpetuate a low back pain. They can also alter the function and sensation of the spine. The altered function can cause the spine to break down faster.

So what do you do for low back pain?

First you have to have a proper assessment by a qualified professional. You may need to get more than one opinion from different types of specialists. Try to understand and take in what they have to say. Remember that each specialist will be able to give you an opinion from their perspective.

Next you should formulate a game plan that allows your body to heal and rebuild. You have to get yourself out of the acute phase of pain and swelling. Then you have to find a way to fix what caused the condition to begin with.

Treatments may include medications , hot or cold packs, acupuncture, physical therapy, exercise or chiropractic adjustments. In some cases surgery may be indicated to prevent further damage.

Once the spine has gone past the acute phase, then structural rebuilding and strengthening is indicated. A biomechanical specialist that has expertise in exercise therapy can make a big difference in the outcome of the patient with low back pain.

Pilates, chiropractic adjustments, assisted orthopedic stretched and education

A Pilates based exercise routine can bring balance and stability to the lumbar spine. Understanding proper breathing methods and correct activation of the deep muscles of the core will improve the stability of the spine. With Pilates instruction you learn how to activate your core intelligence to preserve your spine, get out of pain and prevent future injuries.

Chiropractic adjustments can correct the biomechanics of the spine and the sacroiliac joints. Fixations and limitations throughout the spine can put added stress to the weak areas of the lumbar spine. Correcting the fixations and altered segments will bring harmony throughout the whole spine. This will allow the lumbar spine to heal and the pain to go away.

Assisted Orthopedic stretching is important to reset the muscles. Tight muscles in the body will cause the opposing muscles to become weak. Muscles work in groups either together or opposite each other. Resetting the tight muscle will strengthen the opposing muscle and will strengthen the tight muscle as well.

Through assisted Orthopedic stretching, Pilates exercise strengthening and Chiropractic adjustments the spine has a good chance for recovery. Utilizing these principles with added body awareness and education, you will be able to manage your low back pain and prevent any future problems with your low back.

Mo Shouka, DC, QME

About the Author

Mo Shouka is a California and New Jersey licensed doctor of chiropractic. He has been in practice for 30 years and has treated thousands of patients with low back pain. He is a certified Pilates instructor and is the clinic director at ChiroActive Therapy in Tustin, California.

For more info:  https://www.tustinbackpain.com

Choose to be Happy

Choose to be Happy

😀We have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have the right to pursue🏃 happiness. Well, happiness can be elusive for some people😞.  With happiness, the closer you get to it the more elusive it becomes😒.

Happiness is a matter of perspective

Happiness is also a matter of perspective. It really depends on how you’re looking at things. You may have had a dream of acquiring or attaining something that you thought would make you happy. But as you accomplished your goals you may have found that they did not quite make you happy.

It was probably exciting when you first accomplished your goal but then you realize that the feeling did not last long. You may have been excited to purchase a car, furniture, jewelry, or article of clothing. Then you realized it was not so satisfying.

One important choice is choosing to have the right perspective😎. It begins with having the attitude of gratitude. There are many things that we have that do not seem to be fulfilling anymore. There are people out there that would dream to have the things that you take for granted. Happiness is dependent on your choices.

Yes happiness is a matter of perspective. We should remind each other to be grateful for what we already have. Counting our blessings every evening puts our thoughts in the right mindset.

Happiness is affected by movement

Happiness much like the rest of our emotions can be affected by movement. Moving your body 😃💕💃 in all different directions not only stretches your body but it expands your mind 🙆 as well. Emotions are not logical and it may be difficult at times to change them with just your thinking alone. Emotions are heavily affected by motions.

Starting off your day by exercising in the morning can be very beneficial and helpful in regaining and maintaining happiness. The key to exercise is being able to breathe deeply and moving in every direction. Choose to be happy on the daily by having an attitude of gratitude🙏, counting your blessings, and moving and breathing💨 correctly.

Chiropractic to Improve your Strength and Health