What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 1pm 2pm - 5:30pm Tuesday 8am - 1pm 2pm - 5:30pm Wednesday 8am - 1pm 2pm - 5:30pm Thursday 8am - 1pm 2pm - 5:30pm Friday 9am - 2pm

Innate Chiropractic

Home
United States
Wichita, KS
Innate Chiropractic

Helping the Wichita area live healthier lives. Over 4,000 patients helped - call today! Our content is meant for educational purposes only.

It is not meant for, nor should be taken as, medical advice. Consult with a medical professional.

03/24/2026

It sounds logical to rest your joints to protect them - but research suggests the opposite may be true.

When joints stop moving regularly, cartilage can lose access to the nutrients it needs. Movement is what drives fluid through joint tissue, keeping it nourished and functional. Without it, that process slows down.

At the same time, the muscles surrounding a joint begin to weaken from disuse. Those muscles act like shock absorbers, reducing the load the joint itself has to handle. When they atrophy, the joint takes on more stress with every movement - not less.

Research has found that weaker thigh muscles are associated with a higher prevalence of knee osteoarthritis, even in people with no history of joint injury. That suggests muscle weakness may contribute to joint deterioration rather than simply result from it.

The picture that emerges is one where inactivity gradually makes movement harder, which can then reduce activity further - a cycle that may accelerate joint decline over time.

03/23/2026

The modern Western diet tends to be heavily skewed toward omega-6 fatty acids, found in processed foods and many cooking oils. Omega-3s, on the other hand, are found mainly in fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts - foods that tend to appear less often in typical diets.

Research suggests this imbalance could play a role in chronic inflammation.

A 2023 genetic analysis found that a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was associated with greater inflammation and pain, while higher omega-3 levels were linked to a lower risk of back pain and sciatica.

The mechanism researchers point to is relatively straightforward. Omega-6 fats can promote inflammatory pathways in the body, while omega-3s appear to counteract that process. When one significantly outweighs the other, the balance may tip toward a more inflamed state.

It's a correlation worth noting, and an area of ongoing research.

03/20/2026

Most health advice focuses on cutting salt - but the ratio may matter more than the amount.

Sodium and potassium work against each other in the body. Sodium tends to raise blood pressure by increasing fluid retention, while potassium helps relax blood vessels and signals the kidneys to flush sodium out. When one is high and the other is low, that's where things may get complicated.

Research following over 12,000 Americans found that people with the highest sodium-to-potassium ratios had roughly double the risk of dying from ischemic heart disease compared to those with the lowest ratios. Notably, the ratio appeared to be a stronger predictor of cardiovascular risk than either mineral considered on its own.

This suggests that adding potassium back in - through fruits, vegetables, beans, and dairy - may be just as important as reducing sodium, not a secondary concern.

The evidence here is largely observational, so it can't fully separate the ratio's effect from other dietary habits. But it's an angle worth considering when thinking about overall cardiovascular health.

03/19/2026

Your spinal discs act like shock absorbers - and they need to stay hydrated to do that job.

Between each vertebra sits a disc filled with a gel-like substance that cushions movement and distributes load. Over time, these discs can lose water and begin to break down - a process researchers call degeneration.

Animal studies suggest omega-3 fatty acids may help slow this process. In one controlled study, rats with injured intervertebral discs that were fed an omega-3-enriched diet showed significantly less disc dehydration and better-preserved cushioning tissue compared to those on a standard diet.

The proposed mechanism involves omega-3s reducing the inflammatory chemicals that are thought to damage disc tissue. Less inflammation may mean less breakdown of the structural components that keep discs plump and functional.

It's worth noting these findings come from animal models, so how directly they translate to humans is still an open question. But they do point to an interesting connection between dietary fat intake and the long-term health of spinal tissue.

03/18/2026

The idea that joints wear out like car tires is a surprisingly common belief - but it doesn't quite hold up.

Unlike rubber tires, which are inert materials that only degrade with use, joints are living tissue that can actually adapt and strengthen in response to movement. Cartilage - the cushioning material between bones - gets its nutrients from joint fluid that circulates when you move. Regular activity essentially feeds your cartilage.

Animal studies suggest that moderate exercise doesn't break cartilage down. In many cases, it was associated with no damage at all, and sometimes even improvements in cartilage thickness and composition.

Human data points in a similar direction. A meta-analysis pooling data from over 125,000 people found that recreational runners had roughly one-third the rate of hip and knee arthritis compared to sedentary individuals.

That's not to say joints are indestructible - prior injuries and extreme overuse do appear to matter. But the baseline assumption that moving more means wearing joints out faster doesn't seem to be supported by the evidence we have so far.

03/17/2026

Passive stretching may have a meaningful edge over active stretching for flexibility gains.

When you stretch passively, an external force does the work - a strap, a wall, a partner, or even gravity. Your target muscle stays relaxed while something else holds the position. Active stretching, by contrast, uses your own muscular effort to create and hold the stretch.

A 2023 systematic review of 41 studies found that passive stretching produced what researchers described as a "large effect" on range of motion - nearly a full standard deviation improvement in joint flexibility. Active stretching showed more moderate gains.

The reason may be fairly straightforward. When an external force holds the stretch, you can often reach a deeper position than your own muscle strength would allow. You're not limited by fatigue or discomfort in the surrounding muscles.

That said, both approaches do improve flexibility, and active stretching has its own advantages - it engages the muscles while lengthening them, and doesn't require any assistance or equipment.

For those whose primary goal is improving range of motion, the research suggests passive methods may be worth prioritizing.

03/16/2026

For joint pain, research suggests the muscles around your knees might matter more than the joint itself.

A 1997 study found that people with weaker quadriceps - the large muscles at the front of your thigh - were significantly more likely to have knee osteoarthritis and knee pain, even without a prior injury.

The proposed mechanism makes sense when you think about it. Strong muscles act like built-in shock absorbers. When they're working properly, they absorb and distribute the forces your knee experiences with every step, reducing how much stress lands directly on the cartilage.

When those muscles are weak, that buffering system is compromised. The joint has to take on more of the load than it's designed to handle.

This is part of why strength training - particularly exercises that target the quads - shows up consistently in research on joint health. It may not just be about fitness in the traditional sense, but about maintaining the structural support system your knees rely on.

03/13/2026

Cartilage doesn't have its own blood supply - so how does it stay nourished?

Unlike most tissues in your body, cartilage can't draw nutrients directly from nearby blood vessels. Instead, it relies on a mechanical process: the compression and decompression that happens when you move.

Every time your joint loads and unloads - during walking, cycling, or even light exercise - it essentially squishes the cartilage like a sponge. This pumps out waste products and pulls in fresh, nutrient-rich joint fluid. Rest, and that exchange slows considerably.

Animal research suggests that moderate, regular exercise may actually improve cartilage thickness and composition over time. The tissue appears to respond to appropriate movement by maintaining - and in some cases enhancing - its structural quality.

This helps explain why complete rest isn't generally considered the best approach for joint health, even in people who already have some cartilage wear. The joint depends on motion to run its basic maintenance processes.

It's a useful reframe: movement may function less like wear-and-tear, and more like a delivery system for the joint itself.

03/12/2026

Shingles nerve pain can linger for months - but could vitamin C play a supportive role in recovery?

Shingles, caused by the herpes zoster virus, sometimes leaves behind a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia - a painful, persistent nerve irritation that can be difficult to manage with standard treatments alone.

Some researchers have been exploring high-dose intravenous vitamin C as a supportive therapy alongside antivirals. In one clinical trial, patients with acute shingles who received vitamin C infusions reported notably lower pain levels in the weeks that followed. Fewer of them went on to develop chronic post-herpetic neuralgia compared to those who didn't receive it.

Case reports have documented similar patterns - patients whose nerve pain improved meaningfully after IV vitamin C when antivirals and standard pain relief weren't providing enough comfort.

Researchers think vitamin C's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may help calm the nerve environment that sustains this kind of pain. It's also thought to support the body's natural pain-modulating chemicals.

03/11/2026

Joint pain doesn't have to mean the end of staying active - it just changes how you go about it.

For people with a history of joint injuries or arthritis, high-impact exercise like running can accelerate cartilage wear in already-damaged joints. Animal research found that mice with prior meniscal injuries who continued running developed more severe joint damage than injured mice who stayed sedentary.

But the solution isn't inactivity - that comes with its own risks. Sedentary living weakens the muscles that support your joints, and research consistently links physical activity to better joint outcomes, not worse ones.

That's where low-impact options like swimming, cycling, and yoga come in. Water exercise removes gravitational load from the joint entirely. Cycling offers smooth, rhythmic motion without the pounding. Yoga builds the flexibility and muscle control that help stabilize joints during everyday movement.

These activities still deliver the core benefits that protect joints long-term - stronger surrounding muscles, better circulation, and maintained range of motion - without placing excessive stress on tissue that may already be compromised.

03/10/2026

Could stretching actually help you jump higher?

Most people think of stretching as something you do to stay loose - not something that makes you more explosive. But research suggests it might do both.

A 2023 systematic review of 41 studies found that regular static stretching produced small but statistically significant improvements in muscle power - the ability to produce force quickly, which matters for things like jumping or sprinting.

One controlled study gives a clearer picture. Participants who followed a stretching-only program for 10 weeks - no other exercise - improved their vertical jump height by roughly 7%. The control group, who didn't stretch, showed no change at all.

The effect appears stronger in people who are older or less active to begin with. For someone who's already training regularly, the power gains from stretching are likely modest. For someone more sedentary, they may be more meaningful.

03/09/2026

Eating oily fish twice a week might do something unexpected - it could help protect your back as you age.

A five-year observational study tracking the diets and pain outcomes of older adults found that those who ate more oily fish had a significantly lower incidence of pain over time. Each additional weekly serving of omega-3-rich fish was linked with a notable decrease in the chance of developing chronic pain.

The likely mechanism is inflammation. Omega-3s - the fats found in salmon, mackerel, sardines, and similar fish - help lower the body's production of inflammatory chemicals. Chronic inflammation is thought to damage spinal discs and surrounding muscles over time, so keeping it in check may slow that process.

It's worth noting this study was observational, meaning it can show an association but can't fully confirm cause and effect. Other lifestyle factors could play a role.

Still, two servings of oily fish per week is a fairly modest dietary shift, and the broader research into omega-3s and back pain is growing.

Address

5800 West Central Avenue
Wichita, KS
67212

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 1pm
	2pm - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 1pm
	2pm - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 1pm
	2pm - 5:30pm
Thursday	8am - 1pm
	2pm - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 2pm

Telephone

+13162953727

Website

https://innatechiro.net/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Innate Chiropractic posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Innate Chiropractic:

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Wichita?