The Good Looking Guy That I Met in the Ladies!

I am not one of those dedicated clubbers who are there when the doors open and leave again when the doors close. That is not for me! Realistically, who really can do that unless you wasted or high or

Pillow talk.

Pillows are our support system for our necks for approximately 8 hours while we sleep and it is important to make sure our necks are getting the correct support.

I often get asked “what pillow should I sleep on?”, this is a difficult one because we all require different needs, soft to hard pillows, sleeping position also can depend on what pillow would suit you. Many people sleep on feather pillows that offer no support, if your pillow can shift shape and density when your head lands on it, then you are not getting any support and this will lead to muscle spasms, aches and headaches.

I cannot hear you!!

You can’t tell an athlete to rest!

The most difficult patient is an athletic patient as they never seem to be able to understand or even hear the word....REST! Most of the time an athlete will present with a muscular, ligament or tendon injury. These are usually sprains, strains or complete tears. Below is some education on the difference between sprains and strains.

Strains are defined as partial or complete tears in a muscle and have 3 levels.

·         Grade 1 strain is associated with small tears within the muscle fibers. Muscle strength stays normal and healing typically takes 10-21 days.

·         Grade 2 strains, the muscle fibers are partially torn. The athlete will experience reduced strength and up to four weeks of therapy and rehabilitation is required.

·         Grade 3 strain is a complete muscle rupture. An MRI is needed to fully evaluate the injury.

Grades 2-3 strains will have a reasonable amount of swelling.

Sprains are injuries to a ligament, ligaments are tough fibrous tissue that holds bones together across a joint. This injury can produce pain or instability in the injured joint and is also listed in 3 levels.

·         Grade 1 sprain, there is pain and swelling, but no instability. Like the strains, this injury is associated with small tears in the ligament. Time, rest, ice, compression wraps and elevation are required for healing (R.I.C.E.= Rest Ice Compression Elevation).

·         Grade 2 sprains are partial ruptures that could cause some instability within the joint. Rehabilitation may be required as well as prolonged rest, icing, compression and elevation.

·         Grade 3 sprains may actually feel less painful than grade 2s, but there is a complete rupture of the ligament and much more swelling. A brace and possibly a surgical procedure are necessary for full healing.

It is imperative that we define these injuries and how they should be treated. Most athletes will take anti-inflammatories to help relieve some of the pain from a sprain or strain. This could actually be counterproductive, as it causes more blood to pool into the injury and this prolongs healing and increases scar tissue formation.

Contact details:

Dr Angela Pasteilledes

96 Brand Road (inside TAP Kruger)

Tel: 031 201 1442

Cell: 083 233 1187

Email: chiropractic.angela@gmail.com

Facebook: I-Got-Your-Back-Chiropractor

What's the norm?

A common question I get asked is what conditions I see and treat the most. Although I treat everything, the most common disorder I see is headaches.

Headaches are common in most people and there a many factors that can contribute to causing a headache.

There are many different types of headaches, such as:

·         Tension headaches (feels like a tight cap over your head)

·         Cluster headaches (occur at the same time everyday)

·         Cervicogenic headaches (caused by mechanical trauma such as whiplash)

·         Migraines ( may have sensitivity to light & noise, nausea & vomiting)

·         Sinus headaches

·         Mixed headache syndrome (combination of a few types of headaches)

What causes headaches?

There are many factors that contribute to getting a headache.

Stress, diet, dehydration, mechanical issues, hormones, drugs, illness, muscular tension and high blood pressure, are to name a few.

The chiropractor will address most these issues in the consultation.

How do I (a Chiropractor) treat headaches?

Most headaches sufferers take certain medications to treat the headaches; this however does not treat the cause of the headache, just the symptom(s).

Since many factors can contribute to a headache, the main aim is to see whether any mechanical and muscular stress can reproduce the headache or cause discomfort, once these areas are located, they can then be treated and the mechanical cause can then be eliminated, causing the headaches to disappear completely or at least lessen it to a manageable state.

Not all Chiropractors treat the same way, so I shall give a breakdown of what I do in my own practice to treat headaches.

Dietary advice is often given to my patients to help them eliminate any food causing factors as well as a lack in vitamins.

I find patients respond well to acupuncture/dry needling, muscles that are in spasm will also get acupressure (squeezing the spasm/trigger point), sometimes I place a mechanical device known as a TENS unit over the area to help the muscles relax. TENS is a tiny machine with pads that you place over the affected area and an electrical impulse is sent into the muscle to stimulate it and help it relax. It is not painful, it feels like a tingling sensation and is safe to use on children, and the elderly.

After the muscles have been treated I then manipulate / adjust the segments of the spine that are mechanically ‘out of place’. Once the spine and muscles are functioning like they should the patient feels relief from the headache. The patient is then also given some stretching exercises to do some home care.

Headaches can be tricky due to the many causing factors, and most headache sufferers are quick to get a headache when exposed to any causing factor, especially stress and bad posture from desk work.

Don’t spend your life popping pills, try some holistic healing. What have you got to lose?

Contact details:

Dr Angela Pasteilledes

96 Brand Road (inside TAP Kruger)

Tel: 031 201 1442

Cell: 083 233 1187

Email: chiropractic.angela@gmail.com

Facebook: I-Got-Your-Back-Chiropractor

Take me back to the Stone Age...

Our lives today have drastically altered from what they use to be centuries ago, we were built to walk on uneven surfaces like beaches and grass and we are now forced to walk on flat hard surfaces. This is the source and cause of most peoples’ lower back pain, as the feet have to now accommodate to walking on solid structures the lower back then takes the brunt of it all since as we all know.. “the hip bone’s connected to the knee bone, the knee bone’s connected to the ankle bone...”
We also used to live active lifestyles whereby we had to walk everywhere, hunt for food, farm for food, today us humans spend the majority of our lives sitting in one place whether it be at our desks, in our cars or on our couches at home, we sit, sit and sit some more.


How does walking on uneven surfaces make a difference?
If you walk on the beach generally the next day you will feel stiff in the lower legs and may even have sore feet, it is because different muscles and ligaments are now being stimulated to support the ankle and foot bones while trying to maintain balance on an uneven surface. We are supposed to have these ligaments and muscles stimulated daily. I tell my patients to have their morning cup of coffee or tea in their garden walking around barefoot.


How does sitting affect us?
Sitting is sedentary and doesn’t allow us to burn fat, obese people sit for 2.5 hours longer than thinner people. When you sit immediately the body slows down, the electrical activity in your legs is drastically reduced, enzymes that help break down fat slow down by 90%, and calorie burning is reduced to 1 calorie per minute.
After 2 hours of sitting, the good cholesterol in the body drops by 20%.
Cardiovascular disease is twice as likely to occur in those individuals with desk jobs.
To try stay more active at work, get up every now and then, stretch, walk around, take the stairs and keep more active!


Words of wisdom to take away from this article:
1. Daily walks on the beach or grass is good for you, 
2. Keep that blood pumping and those muscles working!

Contact details:

Dr Angela Pasteilledes

96 Brand Road (inside TAP Kruger)

Tel: 031 201 1442

Cell: 083 233 1187

Email: chiropractic.angela@gmail.com

Facebook: I-Got-Your-Back-Chiropractor

It is not like the movies!

I find the majority of people are afraid to see a chiropractor because they are afraid of the NECK MANIPULATION.  
Frequently patients ask me... “Can you break my neck?” and I always tell them that the movies lie and it is not that easy to ‘break someone’s neck’.

When going to see a chiropractor, a full medical history will be taken, from this the chiropractor will determine whether a neck adjustment would be contra-indicated or not, if there is any doubt x-rays may be done to determine the outcome.

Certain medical conditions are contra-indicated for manipulation in certain areas of the body; the chiropractor will be aware of this and stay clear from such areas.

When getting a neck manipulation the chiropractor doesn’t use brute force to manipulate/click the neck, the manipulation is done by careful placement of the joints in certain positions with a light thrust that moves them into the correct position. The manipulation is not painful and would help restore function and relieve pain.

Neck manipulations are used to treat many conditions such as:

• Stiffness
• Whiplash
• Disc injuries
• Nerve pain
• Headaches
• Muscular weakness
• Facial pain
• Shoulder, elbow and wrist pain
• Thoracic outlet syndrome

If the chiropractor believes that a neck adjustment is contra-indicated, often manipulation of other parts of the body can help aid in alleviation of pain and increase the range of motion.

Contact details:

Dr Angela Pasteilledes

96 Brand Road (inside TAP Kruger)

Tel: 031 201 1442

Cell: 083 233 1187

Email: chiropractic.angela@gmail.com

Facebook: I-Got-Your-Back-Chiropractor

Calling Mr Sandman

Sleeping position is something I discuss a lot with my patients. We spend a third of our 24hour day sleeping, thus it affects our back and neck as much as any other posture we assume throughout the day.

Most people want to know what the best sleeping position is. The main thing to consider when sleeping is to keep the spine in as perfect alignment as possible.

The two best sleeping positions are lying on your side or on your back with pillows strategically place to help your spine.

1.    Side Lying

When lying on your side the top leg will automatically drop off the bottom leg, causing the spine to be twisted, this can cause certain muscles to spasm up and further irritate any existing conditions. To avoid this from happening place a pillow between the knees, this will allow the legs to stay in one position and prevent any twisting of the lower back.

2.    Back lying

When lying on your back, this causes the lower back to arch more and places strain on certain joints. To avoid this from happening place some pillows under the knees, to flatten out the lower back and prevent any strain from occurring.

The worst case scenario?

The worst sleeping position is lying on your stomach, when lying on your stomach you are forced to turn your head to one side this places strain on certain joints and muscles in the upper back as well as the joints and muscles of the neck causing mechanical issues, pain and headaches.

So pile up on the pillows in the right places as they will help you sleep better and alleviate most muscle spasms and pain.

Contact details:

Dr Angela Pasteilledes

96 Brand Road (inside TAP Kruger)

Tel: 031 201 1442

Cell: 083 233 1187

Email: chiropractic.angela@gmail.com

Facebook: I-Got-Your-Back-Chiropractor

Twice a year is not enough!

Easter (and its related holidays) is now over and its back to work! Whilst driving around this weekend, I saw a very good yet disturbing sight - full church parking lots.


Before you jump to any conclusions, let me explain. I see this trend twice a year. Many people who do not go to church on a regular basis cram into the local church on two occasions a year, namely Easter and Christmas, for reasons that elude me and sometimes even them. Possible reasons are guilt, a sense of duty and so on.
Why only twice a year? I can understand the timing of the mass entrance to churches being the birth and death of Jesus Christ but what about the rest of the year? He came to save you ALL YEAR ROUND not just because you felt the need to go twice a year.


He is your best friend and Saviour and this is how you treat Him? How would you feel if your best friend (and Saviour) came to visit twice a year?

A cat will stretch to a distance proportional to the length of the nap just taken.

Stretching is a form of exercise in which a specific muscle or group of muscles are lengthened to increase the muscles elasticity, and help tone the muscle.  Stretching increases muscle control, flexibility and range of motion, as well as alleviating cramping.

Stretching can prevent injury and should be done before and after any aerobic exercise. This is known as warming up and cooling down periods.

Warming up allows your body and muscles to prepare for any activity, this helps keep your muscles supple, increases range of motion of the joints, enhances flexibility, improves coordination, increases body temperature and heart rate, which then increases blood flow to muscles which prevents cramping and injuries.

Cooling down after activity allows your muscles to ease off the tension from the exercise and gives your heart rate time to return to normal.

The correct way to stretch is slow and relaxed. Here are some tips:

• Whilst stretching take deep breathes in, through your nose and out your mouth.
• Holding your breath while stretching will only cause the muscle to spasm further.
• Bouncing can actually cause you to pull the muscle that’s being stretched, so DO NOT BOUNCE when stretching EVER!
• The stretch should go until there is mild tension, pain should never occur, if there is pain STOP!
• Overstretching can cause damage so ensure that the muscle is in the correct position under mild tension.

Stretching is an instinctual behaviour, we automatically stretch after sleeping, or being in the same position for a long time, if we look at the animal kingdom all animals stretch upon waking.

Prevent injury during training by stretching; it can only improve your skills.

Contact details:

Dr Angela Pasteilledes

96 Brand Road (inside TAP Kruger)

Tel: 031 201 1442

Cell: 083 233 1187

Email: chiropractic.angela@gmail.com

Find her on Facebook

Who are the angels in your life?

My tertiary education started on a different path than the one I currently run along. It started as a year in sports massage with an aim to get into Chiropractic.

I believe that angels come along in many forms. One came into my life as a chiropractor who firstly picked up my suspected marfans syndrome during a 'routine appointment' and secondly may (or may not) have had a hand in my gaining entry into Chiropractic the following year.

Another angel entered my life whilst studying at Tech. When we first met - just friends, I was still in a relationship. It came about through us both failing a course. We wrote the exam and I went to get the results. By this time I was single again. I phoned her to tell her we both passed and asked her to mugg and bean for coffee. As the classics say - the rest is history. About 3 weeks it was official that we were together, about 3 years (March 2007) later we were engaged 24 November 2007 we were married.

Angels come in various forms. The trick is to recognize them and have them influence your life in a positive way. They sometimes stay in your life but not always.

Chiropractic and Chiropractors explained.

This is a guest post by a Doctor of Chiropractic Dr Angela Pastilledes. Her details are also at the bottom of the post.

What is CHIROPRACTIC?

The word "chiropractic" combines the Greek words cheir (hand) and praxis (action) and means "done by hand." Chiropractic is an alternative medical practice and has a different approach from medicine in diagnosing, classifying, and treating medical problems.

Chiropractors’ belief is that the main cause of pain and disease is the misalignment of the vertebrae in the spinal column.  This theory arises from the fact that the nerves exit the spinal cord and supply the muscles, ligaments and organs, thus misalignment of the spinal cord affects the functioning of all these structures. This misalignment is detected manually by palpation (feeling by hand) of the spine and joints.

Chiropractors use a hands-on therapy called manipulation (or adjustment) as their core clinical procedure. Manipulation passively moves the joint beyond the normal range of motion to restore optimum functioning of the joint, when this occurs sometimes a popping sound can be heard.

What is the noise I hear during an adjustment? 
When your vertebrae are adjusted, tiny pockets of gas are released from the joints, making a "popping" noise.  Not all patients hear this noise. It's not a sign that the adjustment is working or not working.

What happens in a chiropractic treatment?

When going to the chiropractor they will ask what your complaint is, from there the chiropractor will assess your range of motion and orthopaedic, muscle and nerve evaluation will be done. Muscle treatment includes dry needling (if needed or wanted by patient) acupressure, soft tissue therapy over the affected area and manipulation. Advice on posture, ergonomics, sleeping position, appropriate stretching and rehabilitation may be given.

What types of conditions do chiropractors treat? 

When a Chiropractic adjustment is administered proper movement is restored and a number of conditions are corrected via this manipulation:

·         Pain and stiffness

·         Headaches

·         Injuries/whiplash

·         TMJ (jaw problems)

·         Sports injuries

·         Bursitis and Tendonitis (conditions involving inflammation of soft tissues).

·         Fibromyalgia (chronic muscle pain and stiffness).

·         Scoliosis

·        Sciatica

·         Disc injuries/hernitions

·         Nerve disorders.

·         Hip impingement

·         Arthritis

·         Fatigue

·         Stress

·         Sinusitis

·         Sleeping difficulties    

 How do you know if you need a chiropractor?

Obviously if you have pain and stiffness or any joint and muscle conditions chiropractic would benefit you, however any healthy person at any given time will have segments of their spine which are ‘out of place’ , these segments send signals to your brain letting it know that they are not functioning properly.

Why not have a spinal screening and get your body working at is best.

Contact details:

Dr Angela Pasteilledes

96 Brand Road (inside TAP Kruger)

Tel: 031 201 1442

Cell: 083 233 1187

Email: chiropractic.angela@gmail.com
Find her on Facebook