Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

Dr. Heather

Welcome to Fix My Pain Naturally Podcast where Dr. Heather discusses some of the most common aliments we as athletes & non-athletes face and how to achieve optimal performance by learning how to fix your pain naturally. Dr. Heather is a neuromusculoskeletal practitioner specializing in proper spinal/articular alignment, muscle imbalances and soft tissue injuries. As a Doctor of Chiropractic with over 20 plus years of experience, Heather has concentrated on athletic training/ sports medicine. Licensed in Connecticut, Heather has measurably expanded her family-oriented practice, and become an even more active consultant and speaker in the Tri-State area over the last several years in addition to her continuing local volunteer work with schools and nonprofits. Thanks to the rise of the Pandemic, Dr. Heather has also been able to provide continuous care for many patients via her online platform. Dr. Heather constructed a 3 week Sports Chiropractic Program which has been able to help thousands of people globally in becoming pain free. By using various digital platforms patients are able to use her treatment protocols which are customized to each individual.A note from Dr. Heather:I was in eighth grade. It was during one of my softball games. I will ever forget that day because of the intense pain I left with from the field. Radiating pain down both my legs. I could barely walk. I thought I would never play again the pain was so bad. I didn't want to go to the hospital. I didn't want to have to take drugs or medications for the rest of my life. I wanted someone to help me. I wanted the help fast.Then something happened that would change everything...My mom brought me to see the chiropractor she had been going to. This was my very first experience with a chiropractor. I mean I had watched my mom get treated several times but never once was I the patient until now. He explained to me that he incorporated Kinesiology into his diagnostic skills to help him figure out what muscles and nerves were being the most affected. It was the way he explained the body. The muscles. The nerves. How it was all connected. I was amazed.Now I'm a sports chiropractor helping people feel better and returning them to activity without hesitation or fear that their injury will come back. Having that experience at such an early age had a profound effect on me. It made me take my passion for art, sport and science and bring them together. I wanted to do what he did for me, for others.I'm doing this because I am passionate about helping people. I am a firm believer that our bodies can heal themselves. Now don't get me wrong there is a time and place for traditional medicine, science and intervention. But a majority of our pain symptoms can be fixed naturally. If we can understand how our bodies work, the physiology and then we can begin to understand how to heal our bodies.

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Top 10 Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather Episodes

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Welcome to Fix Your Pain Naturally Podcast

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

01/02/22 • 5 min

Hi I’m Dr. Heather and welcome to the Fix Your Naturally Podcast. I am the founder & owner of Ask Doctor Heather which is a digital platform designed around helping you, the athlete & non-athlete achieve your optimal performance by teaching you how to fix your pain naturally. For years I operated a private practice in Connecticut but when the Pandemic hit I saw a need for people like you, who had various questions about their pain symptoms, to finally get the answers they needed. That’s when I created the Ask Doctor Heather brand. What I found was an overwhelmingly positive response to my online courses, video content and virtual coaching services. It has now become my mission to help serve over 1,000 people worldwide who finally want to learn how to fix their pain naturally and return to activity without hesitation or worry.

Now let’s get started

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Dr. Heather runs a 3 Week Sports Chiropractic Telehealth Program all designed around fixing your pain naturally. Dr. Heather is an expert in her field and provides knowledgeable information through all of her videos. On her channel you will find various videos for runners, triathletes, weight lifters, skiers, cyclists and much more.

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Dr. Heather runs a 3 Week Sports Chiropractic Telehealth Program all designed around fixing your pain naturally. Dr. Heather is an expert in her field and provides knowledgeable information through all of her videos. On her channel you will find various videos for runners, triathletes, weight lifters, skiers, cyclists and much more.
All Subscribers get a FREE Video Consult click the link below:
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VO2Max what is it and why does it matter?

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

02/06/22 • 9 min

If you are like me you’ve seen this word thrown around in various running groups and may have wondered what it is. VO2Max stands for maximal oxygen uptake and it's a training tool used by a fitness professional to determine an athlete’s capacity to sustain exercise.

Now you might be thinking but I just started running so why would I want to know this information. Well if you have dreams of running a half or full marathon or maybe even one day doing an ultra run or even a triathlon then knowing your VO2Max will help you when it comes to designing your training program. What we are looking at is your aerobic endurance capacity here. How much oxygen can an individual utilize during intense exercise.

In order to find out your VO2Max you would have to do one of these things:

You would go to a facility that specifically tests for VO2MAx by connecting you to a computer along with an apparatus that measures the amount of air you exhale. More than likely you will either be on a treadmill where the intensity will be increased until you can not go any further. The computer will measure the volume of carbon dioxide and oxygen of the air you expired during the test.

An indirect way to figure out your VO2Max would be to walk as fast as you can for 1 mile. Note the amount of time it takes to complete the mile and then take the heart rate. Next is to use this calculation VO2 = (HR x SV) x a-vO2 .... HR = Heart Rate and SV = Stroke Volume and a-vO2 represents the oxygen in the muscle cells & the the volume of oxygen that is released.

As you continue to train/run your VO2Max will naturally increase. You will notice this when you look back and say to yourself “wow I am not out of breath after a mile or two”. The muscles in your body will respond accordingly meaning you won’t feel exhausted after the run. These are signs that you are increasing your aerobic capacity which ultimately means your VO2Max has increased as well.

If you want some more tips on training/preparing for your next up and coming race drop some comments below

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Shin Splints - Why do they cause so much trouble?

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

01/16/22 • 15 min

Have you ever suffered with shin splints? ✋

Throughout the whole Pandemic and even now, Shin Splints seems to be the #1 problem people are asking about. Their question is “how to fix them”. For some the answer is simple because the initial course of action is to rest, ice, compress and massage out the area. But for others these little muscles come back with vengeance making one believe that their shin splints will never go away.

Not sure if you caught what I said above but I did say “muscles”. There are two muscles that can cause shin splints which is why it is important to determine first if it’s an anterior shin splint or a posterior shin splint. Even though the initial course of action may be the same regardless of an anterior or posterior shin splint, it’s the course of action you take after that initial phase. This will also play apart in your running gait.

So what do I mean by that 😕

Having a gait analysis done at your local running shoe store will add great value, insight to what is happening when the foot strikes the ground. This is why it becomes important to know if we pronate, supinate, have reduced dorsiflexion of the foot or if we are a heavy heel striker. Now here is where the gait analysis plays an even greater role in understanding how to rid yourself of shin splints. By watching someone run, we don’t just look at the feet, we look at the pelvis, the hips, how the upper leg and lower leg are moving throughout the entire run cycle. This helps us in figuring out why the shin splint is recurring.

Understand that shin splints are an overuse injury because many times we do increase our intensity, our mileage too quickly but it doesn’t mean nor should it mean that you can’t continue to run. If you have specific questions about your shin splints, leave a comment below 👇

Shin Splints Part 1

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Why is proprioception work so important for a skier?

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

01/30/22 • 8 min

Now that ski season is in full swing and we are gearing up to hit some of those all time favorite spots. Let’s make sure your bodies are truly ready to handle the conditions of the mountain. I have written some posts on ankle strength/mobility, the importance of balance training, understanding the need to have strong hamstrings in addition to your quads and having upper body strength as an important need especially in case you were to encounter a fall. But if we were to put this all together we begin to understand why proprioception work is so important for a skier.

What is proprioception?

Proprioception, sometimes also called kinesthesia, is the body’s ability to sense its location, movements, and actions. It’s basically a continuous loop of feedback between sensory receptors throughout your body and your nervous system. Proprioception is the body’s ability to receive input through receptors in the skin, muscles and joints, and transfer the information to the brain through the nervous system so that the body can sense itself.

Something I should point out as it relates to skiers and snowboarders more here....Kinesthetic awareness is the conscious effort to react to the situation, whereas proprioception is an unconscious or subconscious brain process.

Take an example of a skier moving through different types of terrain; the skier’s body acts subconsciously to stay upright while their mind processes the upcoming terrain of bumps, trees, and steeps and makes the appropriate adjustments. The light bulb should have gone off in your head because now it would make sense why balance, single leg and plyometric exercises would become an important addition to your pre/post-season training program.

When dealing with injuries or injury prevention, we need to focus on the whole chain, the whole kinematic chain. How the foot/ankle move affects the forces at the knee which then affects the rotation patterns at the hip which then affects the relationship between the pelvis, sacrum and lumbar spine.

Several studies have shown that athletes with better proprioception are less likely to sustain ankle sprain injuries. Which again is why this is an important style of training that should be added into everyone’s training programs. Balance training programs are known to be effective, apparently through enhancing neural processing of sensory signals. Another strategy is to enhance those sensory signals. Athlete’s footwear (ie. sneakers or ski boots) substantially impact their performance through sensory feedback. Hence the reason why you might want more Ankle Flex in a ski boot (see my prior post on Ankle Flex).

So you might be thinking what are some

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27 Injury Prevention Tips & Tricks for Runners: Core Training

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

01/07/23 • 4 min

Core training - Enhancing core stability through exercise is common to musculoskeletal injury prevention programs. Definitive evidence demonstrating an association between core instability and injury is lacking; however, multifaceted prevention programs including core stabilization exercises appear to be effective at reducing lower extremity injury rates. By strengthening the core a majority of aches, pains and/or stiffness can be relieved as it does reset your muscle firing patterns through a neurological synaptic connection. A majority of the runner’s I work with have noticed remarkable improvement in their overall performance by simply adding in some specific core strengthening exercises.

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Click here 👉 https://www.askdoctorheather.com/InjuryPrevention

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To Stretch or Not Stretch My Hamstring

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

01/09/22 • 7 min

So this is an interesting question and many of you may be wondering WHY wouldn’t I want to stretch my hamstring. Over the past couple of weeks I have seen a couple of posts from people (runners) indicating that they have tight hamstring but all the stretching in the world is not helping. There is a simple answer to this question but requires us to have a little understanding about anatomy.

First what I want you to do is look in the mirror and tell me does your butt stick out or does it kind of disappear (tuck under a bit). This will help us figure out if you have an anterior tilt or a posterior tilt to your pelvis.

Butt sticks out: This means you have an anterior tilt to your pelvis and your hip flexors are the source of the problem. Your hamstring muscles are being pulled into a lengthened position making them tight. So it won’t matter how much you stretch the hamstrings here you need to address the psoas and iliopsoas to help take tension off the hamstrings.

Butt tucks under: This means you have a posterior tilt to your pelvis and once you address the hamstrings through stretch or soft tissue massage you should feel the relief of that muscle group relaxing.

Why is this important? Once you have figured this part out then you can either stretch your hamstring or address your hip flexors. Then the next part is to strengthen the hamstrings. In this video I show you three simple, basic hamstring exercises you can do from the comfort of your home.

Check them out 👇

To Stretch or Not Stretch Your Hamstring

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27 Injury Prevention Tips & Tricks for Runners: Acupuncture

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

12/03/22 • 4 min

Acupuncture helps release tight muscles so that the body’s structure can return to normal. It does so by needling the tight muscle directly and getting it to release and return to a more normal state. When muscles get tight and pull on the bones they attach to it creates pain. An injury like runner’s knee is often caused by tight quad muscles because those muscles attach to the knee and more specifically to the patellar tendon that runs into the knee. When the quads are tight they pull on the knee and can move the tracking of the patella out of place which results in pain. Releasing a tight quad muscle will restore the muscle back to it’s normal length and help the patella move back into place which will reduce the pain due to the patella being slightly out of place. Acupuncture can also help prevent running injuries by keeping muscles loose and identifying any possible areas of weakness or imbalance.

Click here to grab the 27 Tips & Tricks on Injury Prevention for Runners 👉 https://www.askdoctorheather.com/InjuryPrevention

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27 Injury Prevention Tips & Tricks for Runners: Proper Footwear

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

07/02/22 • 8 min

If you want to grab the complete guide click here

👉 27 Injury Prevention Tips & Tricks Guide For Runners

Proper footwear - many runners jump right to changing their sneakers when an injury sets in but it’s actually the last step you want to take. Sneakers are seen as the ergonomics to running. With so many sneakers out there along with insoles, inserts and orthotics it may be difficult to figure out which shoe is truly right for you. This is why us, as professionals, always recommend going to a running store to get fitted.

Check out the video Dr. Heather and Michael, owner of GoodFeet out here in Connecticut did on proper foot wear & biomechanics.

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DISCLAIMER: This content (the video/podcast, description, links, and comments) is not medical advice or a treatment plan and is intended for general education and demonstration purposes only. This content should not be used to self-diagnose or self-treat any health, medical, or physical condition. Don’t use this content to avoid going to your own healthcare professional or to replace the advice they give you. Consult with your healthcare professional before doing anything contained in this content. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ask Doctor Heather, LLC and its officers for any and all losses, injuries, or damages resulting from any and all claims that arise from your use or misuse of this content. Ask Doctor Heather, LLC makes no representations about the accuracy or suitability of this content. Use of this content is at your sole risk. Amazon Services LLC Associates Program As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The Company is a parti

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Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: 4 Tips For Relief

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

08/30/23 • 9 min

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, or TOS, is a term that is tossed around often but can feel difficult to diagnose and treat. Often defined by compression of nerves and vascular structures that originate in the cervical region and the upper extremity, compression of these structures can result in numbness and tingling, general discomfort in the upper extremity and chest, and even result in feelings of fatigue and heaviness in the arm and hand. These nerves and vascular structures typically become compressed in the area just above the first rib and behind the clavicle after they originate from the cervical region.
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How does working my entire kinematic chain increase my run performance?

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

01/23/22 • 12 min

By now you may have read one of my weekly posts or multiple of them where I talk, educate or discuss some of the common injuries that beginner or novice runners may experience. Recently I went live 3 days in a row where I discussed one of the most common injuries a majority of people are complaining about or suffering with, Shin Splints. On the second and third day I talked about how working the entire kinematic chain will be your key in helping you resolve this problem.

Let me break it down for you.

Running is a single leg sport which means each leg needs to be able to work independently throughout the entire gait cycle. The gait cycle starts when one foot makes contact with the ground and ends when that same foot contacts the ground again. Once you understand the term gait cycle then you can begin to have a better understanding of how to resolve the problem.

This is something I addressed which is to have a gait analysis done or have a professional like a running coach or physical therapist or sports medicine doctor who works with runners review video of you running from the back and the side. Knowing if you pronate, supinate, have high arches, flat feet, if you hinge forward in your run, how the heel strikes the ground or which part of your foot strikes the ground first will give you answers on how to make the necessary changes to prevent an injury from setting in. This will also provide you with better insight as to which running sneaker will be best for you.

Finding your muscle imbalances, compensation patterns or weaknesses before strength training. This is another key component. Reason being if we start strengthening muscle groups before addressing the imbalances then we are going to create more compensation patterns which could lead to more injuries down the road.

So this means looking at the muscles that surround our core, our hips, our thighs and our lower leg. The importance of flexibility and mobility work prior to strengthening the muscles. This piece of the puzzle I think gets overlooked. Knowing when to stretch, the type of stretching to do (passive, active or resistance) helps improve our run. Which then can aid with mobility of the entire kinematic chain along with the use of some soft tissue work. This helps with increasing speed, pace, stride length and overall enjoyability of the run itself.

If you have any specific questions about how working your entire kinematic chain will benefit your run performance, drop a comment below 👇

Check out this video on Ankle Strengthening Exercises

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FAQ

How many episodes does Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather have?

Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather currently has 44 episodes available.

What topics does Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Chiropractic, Alternative Health, Pain, Hip, Running, Medicine, Podcasts, Sports and Tips.

What is the most popular episode on Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather?

The episode title 'Why would your doctor say STOP running?' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather?

The average episode length on Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather is 8 minutes.

How often are episodes of Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather released?

Episodes of Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather?

The first episode of Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather was released on Jan 2, 2022.

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Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather

Dr. Heather

Top 10 Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather have?

What topics does Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather cover?

What is the most popular episode on Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather?

What is the average episode length on Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather?

How often are episodes of Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather released?

When was the first episode of Fix My Pain Naturally, Ask Dr. Heather?

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