I feel guilty posting without offering some amount of therapeutic benefit to those of you who are reading, so I'll just throw in this little tidbit. I've recently realized that this concept is mind-blowing to some people. Don't stretch or do mobility work just because the people around you are doing it or because you've heard it's a good idea. A lot of people are lacking mobility in their thoracic cage (see image) or their hips, but maybe you're not one of those people.If you are one of those people, by all means, mobilize! Get more movement in your thoracic spine, get more mobility in your hips. Spend time on these activities. But if your mid back has plenty of movement, stop wasting your time on a foam roller just because everyone else is rolling out. Work on what your body needs. People are usually either too stiff or too mobile. If you're too stiff, you need mobility work - lots of it. If you're too mobile, though, you need to work on stability. If your thoracic spine and hips move just fine, maybe spend your time working on stabilizing your low back with some bird dogs or side bridges. What I'm saying is don't mobilize just because that's what other people do before they workout. Investigate what your body needs. You can still socialize with the people who are foam rolling their thoracic spines while holding a side bridge.All right, I feel better now that I have contributed something other than office information in this post. Granted, it wasn't much, but it was something. Now onto our next order of business.Starting August 1st, I will be seeing patients exclusively on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am-6pm. If you're completely out of the loop, this is because my husband and I are expecting our first little Mumma (lovingly referred to as Booma (Baby+Mumma; you get it) by my dear cousin Aftyn) around August 11th.

After the baby arrives, I'll be taking maternity leave for about six weeks. During that time, Dr. Molly Hall will be covering the office. Dr. Hall is a fantastic chiropractor, and who I see for my own chiropractic care. Please know that I have the utmost confidence in her ability to maintain your care while I am out of the office; you'll be in good hands.

On a sad note, Natalie will be leaving for Appalachian State next month as well. While we'll never really replace her, we can certainly try. No, I'm not hiring another receptionist yet (the wound is just too fresh); we've added online scheduling! This is currently available, so go ahead and set up your next appointment by clicking on the "Schedule an Appointment" link in the upper right-hand corner of the page. This will take you to an external site where you can set up a username and password to create an appointment request. Please note that these are requests, and you should not consider the appointment made until you have heard back from our office. I'm very excited to be able to offer this, especially in my absence. I'm hoping you'll all take full advantage of this tool! Of course, you can still call 919-792-8682 and schedule an appointment that way as well.Dr. Hall will hold the same office hours: Tues/Thurs 8am-6pm. If we haven't seen you in a while, don't wait until I'm back to schedule your appointment. Dr. Hall can certainly take care of you! I'll be a little slower responding to emails or phone calls while I am on maternity leave, so please be patient. Again, contact our office if you are not on our mailing list and would like to receive an incredibly infrequent newsletter keeping you updated on office changes and important health tips!

Image from Visible Body, acquired from http://info.visiblebody.com/bid/268681/3D-Skeletal-System-The-Shoulder-Girdle .

Big Changes at TriCRC! (And a note about mobility and stability)