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Dr. Rachel Sparks is the co-founder of ICT Muscle & Joint Clinic, a board-certified chiropractor, and functional medicine expert. The core of Dr. Sparks’ beliefs lies within the ability to move often and to move well. Dr. Rachel Sparks is passionate about improving the scope of care available for the pregnant and postpartum women through her integrative approach of chiropractic, rehab, nutrition, and functional health.

Read Dr. Rachel Sparks' Full Bio

What ICTMJC Has Been Up to Lately

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Startup Grind, Thursday @The Lux

If you haven’t heard, with the start of 2017, Wichita now has its own edition of Startup Grind, powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. Startup Grind is another Wichita community event, held monthly, by and for the entrepreneurs of our city. January’s event was a huge success, with a turnout of 225 people! This month featured Brian Williamson, an entrepreneur in the world of pharmacy. The informal format of the event was set up to resemble a fireside chat between two people. The audience learned the process of Brian coming to be where he is now, including the many challenges and triumphs along the way.

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Unconference Tech/Gaming Expo

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Wichita's Gaming World

This past Saturday, Drs. Rachel and Keith attended a tech expo for gamers at WSU. Led by Wichita eSports, several hundred individuals attended to participate in tournaments involving games such as League of Legends and Super Smash Bros projected up on the big screens for all to watch. Also, there were computers grouped together in the corners of the room for other tournaments such as NHL 17. All of this is proof of the presence and support the gaming community possesses here in Wichita, Kansas. For those of you that think gaming is only a pastime, well-known individuals, such as Mark Cuban, are starting to financially invest in leagues so we are guessing that it is here to stay. Gaming involves strategy, brings a team of individuals together, and its potential for the future is looking bright. Teams from major universities, such as Kansas State, attended to participate and observe the active push to grow Wichita’s gaming community. Not to mention, Shocker Startup held a pitch competition during the event too!

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Knees & Disney©

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Think of the knee as Cinderella. She was a victim of unfortunate circumstances and left to bear the burden put on her by her stepmother and step sisters. Cinderella does not deserve the grunt work, but as she has no other option, she miserably trudges on. Similarly, the knee is stuck between the hip, ankle and foot; picking up slack where they have left off. Think of this as the fairy godmother blog to save you from present or future knee dysfunction and pain.

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Ugh, Seasonal Allergies.

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As you can see below, if you suffer from seasonal allergies and live in the Wichita, KS area, you probably aren’t feeling 100%. Unfortunately, this area can be a hot zone for all different types of allergens and if that wasn’t bad enough, they can reappear more than once a year. Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis, affects all age groups. (Fun fact: rhinitis is irritation of the nose and rhinoceros means “nose horn;” in case you were curious!) Anyway, common symptoms include sneezing, congestion, itchy/watery eyes, and coughing. Typical treatment includes antihistamines, decongestants, and steroids.

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Pregnancy, Birth, and Life Thereafter

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One of my favorite rehabilitation approaches to practice and learn more about is DNS, or Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization. Pavel Kolar of the Prague School, organized the DNS clinical protocols and has also recently published a book, Clinical Rehabilitation. I swear, every time I open this book my mind is exposed to something new, or a correlation is drawn between two things I never placed together. There is a chapter specifically dedicated to treatment rehab in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, from which this blog is sourced. Get ready for a crash course in all things childbirth!

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Sports-Related Injury Prevention

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School is back in session! All the youngsters in Wichita and surrounding areas have made the trek back into the classroom, with their school supplies in hand. The start of the school year also signifies the start of fall sports: basketball, cross country, baseball, football, and many others. Often, increased sport activity leads to increased sports-related injury rates, but this does not have to be the case!

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Proper Breathing for Prenatal and Postpartum Health

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Most of us tuned into a certain world-wide sporting event that happened very recently. Thousands of athletes in many different sports, trained countless hours to prepare for this life changing event. So, what does the Games have to do with prenatal/postpartum health and breathing?? Let me explain.
 
In America, we have lost respect for the birthing process and everything it entails. Pregnancy should be treated as an athletic event, but instead most postpartum moms are checked on once at 6 weeks and given very little direction on how to return to daily activities. For years, mothers have suffered in silence because they are embarrassed by the changes in their body or they don't believe that anything can be done to treat their symptoms.
 
Luckily, in the past several years, a system of support has risen to the surface with the goal of being available to help women through this physically and mentally taxing process. Don't get me wrong, having a child is innumerably positive but I would like women to be aware that we can add more positives to that list such as: being free of back or pelvic pain, returning to pre-baby physical activities, bladder control, and feeling strong again! This is where breathing comes into play; without this proper function, it is difficult to accomplish the above-mentioned list.
 
The two main reasons breathing is so vital are 1) we need oxygen to live, and 2) it involves our core i.e. where we derive stability for all movements. The more prepared you are before becoming pregnant, the quicker you will make progress. Tissues in the core are disrupted with pregnancy and will take time to heal. Also, if a breathing pattern is improper, it must become a conscious effort to retrain. Once this begins to happen, your core will be able to better stabilize your lower back, pelvis, and hips and subsequently relieve you of your pain or incontinence.
 
The main muscle of respiration is the diaphragm. It cannot work if you do not allow your belly to expand with inspiration, or breathing in. Think of your belly as a balloon or a kite. It is there to essentially 'catch' the contents of your abdomen when your lungs expand to receive oxygen. The easiest position to work on proper abdominal breathing is lying on your back with your lower legs resting on a chair or the couch. Once you are in this position, check that there is not an arch in your lower back and that the spine is resting on the floor. Place one hand over your belly button and the other on your chest. When you inhale, the lower hand should rise while the upper hand should not. This may be difficult at first, but stick with it! Your body and your baby will thank you for it.

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Protect Your Mental Health in the Childbearing Year

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Guest blog by Sara Skiles, owner of Wichita Doula:

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Stars & Stripes 5K

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July 4th, 2016

The holiday weekend was a rainy one, to put it lightly. Some of that humidity hung around Monday morning, but that did not stop over 530 runners from participating in the 5K race. The course began inside Cessna Stadium and then ventured out around the Wichita State Campus. Many were festive in red, white and blue and everyone received a t-shirt and a finishers' medal.

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Tummy Time: Part Two

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The Neck

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Humans are most comfortable with their eyes level with and on the horizon. When babies are lying on their tummies, they do not leave their foreheads on the ground to stare at the floor! Instead, each will upright the head in order to take in the world around him or her; this is precisely how the spinal curve of the neck begins to develop. Of course, infants will not be able to achieve full head uprighting at first, as this in itself is a 'skill' to develop. But even from a young age, the baby will look from side to side. Once a baby masters the ability to support the head, he or she easily will progress to a more difficult movement pattern - requiring head control - such as crawling or walking.

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Tummy Time

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Milestones

Many parents feel pressure from outside sources to rush their child through stages of development. They hear stories of how a friend’s kid walked at only 10 months old and wonder if their own baby is behind because they are not reaching the same milestones as quickly.

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ICT Food Circle Spotlight

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If you look back at your last meal, do you know where your food came from? If the answer is 'no', you are not alone and Mikel Bowyer with ICT Food Circle wants to help the Wichita community change this status quo!

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Weekend Follow Up

This past weekend I was fortunate to attend a seminar hosted by another chiropractor in the Wichita area. The education was focused on better treating athletes, and weightlifters in particular, based on a technique named Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (for more information, stay turned for an upcoming blog OR come in and visit us so we can show you firsthand). The class consisted of chiropractors, personal trainers and strength coaches; it was great to see professionals from varying disciplines being able to work together.

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Weekend Happenings

Happy Friday Wichita!

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1 Million Cups

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"Caffenating an Entrepreneurial Nation"*

In their own words, "1 Million Cups is a free, weekly national program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs. Developed by the Kauffman Foundation, 1MC is based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and network over a million cups of coffee."*

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Whole30 Follow-Up

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While on the Whole 30, we were not allowed to eat dairy products, grains (not even pseudo-ones), legumes, alcohol, or added sugar. The first time Keith & I visited the grocery store came as a bit of a shocker. It seems EVERYTHING has some form of sugar added to it, especially: milk, yogurt, bbq sauce, salad dressings, and all things “fat-free”. However, subsequent trips have gotten much easier by staying on the perimeter of the store; do not even tempt yourself with the products in the middle aisles. Confession: we should buy stock in the chicken they sell at Costco; that, along with eggs, onions, garlic, & herbs are pantry must-haves!

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30 Whole Days

30 Whole Days of eating food, doesn’t sound too difficult does it? Well, Keith and I decided to take on this challenge last month. Up to this point, we had made an effort to eat well (most days) and keep up with the latest in food education. Through that research, we came across this diet,“The Whole30 Program,” mentioned by many different authors whom we greatly respect. 

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ICT Muscle & Joint Clinic’s Grand Opening!

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We are proud, honored, and excited to announce ICT Muscle & Joint Clinic will officially be open Monday, February 1st 2016! 

ABOUT US

Our mission is to empower our patients and community by maximizing their quality of life through: education, corrective exercises, nutritional advice, and soft tissue therapies. We take an active, hands-on approach focusing on the treatment and elimination of the root cause of your pain and/or physical limitations. We specialize in musculoskeletal and sports-related injuries including all forms of: back, foot, knee, hip, shoulder, and neck pain.

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