Prenatal Massage

While prenatal massage does share many of the goals of regular massage, such as relaxing tense muscles, easing sore spots and improving circulation and mobility, studies continue to show that being massaged during pregnancy can also reduce stress and anxiety and decrease symptoms of depression. It can also have a positive effect on labour and your baby’s health. Recent studies also reveal that hormone levels improve significantly when massage is used as part of prenatal care, especially those hormones associated with relaxation and stress.

Other benefits of Prenatal Massage are:

·         Reduce any swelling in your hands, feet and ankles

·         Lessen sacroiliac joint pain, the most common lower back/hip pain that usually flares up in the second trimester

·         Ease muscular discomfort in areas such as your lower back, legs and feet

·         Relax tense muscles in your shoulders and neck

·         Relieve cramping in your legs

·         Increase flexibility

·         Ease headaches

·         Relax and de-stress

·         Decrease insomnia

·         Increase oxygen in the blood

Guy Lacoursiere, RMT practices at Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, located at 142 Erickson Drive. Call 403-347-3261 to book an appointment or visit us online.

Gardening Tips for a Healthy Spine

        Summer time in Alberta is a great time to get out and plant flowers, vegetables and fruits in your yard and garden. It is a great experience to get out of the house and enjoy new life, the sunshine and God’s creation. It improves your mood as well as giving you exercise while enjoying the birds chirping and kids playing outside with each other.Before bending down and kneeling to remove debris and till the soil, here are a few tips to help keep your day enjoyable:

Warm up your body- Go for a short walk, do some lunges, arm circles and squats to warm up you muscles

Stretch – Some simple stretching of your legs, back, arms, shoulders and wrists will help to avoid injury or severe muscle stiffness later. Some muscle soreness is normal as you probably have not used all the same muscle groups for other activities during the winter. This will generally subside in a couple of days as your body gets used to this new activity.

Take your time – Going too fast too soon increases the risk of injury so enjoy your time outdoors and pace yourself. Take a few days if you have a large garden or yard. Alternate your tasks between kneeling, standing, digging and planting.

Use the Right Equipment – Use a wheelbarrow to transport smaller loads of dirt or planters. Use a kneeling pad to protect your knees. Use ergonomic tools while working the soil.

Include your children and family and HAVE FUN- Work doesn’t have to be a chore, you can incorporate fun as you weed, pick flowers and water the garden- an old fashioned water fight will be remembered by your kids for a long time!

Visit your Chiropractor and Massage Therapist – Regular chiropractic adjustments and muscle therapy will help to keep your spine aligned and reduce back and joint pain while maintaining flexibility.

Enjoy the fruits of your gardening! There is nothing like healthy fresh fruits and vegetables straight from your own garden.

Happy Gardening!!

Call Dr. Joelle Johnson at Family First Chiropractic & Wellness at 403-347-3261 to book your appointment www.family1stchiro.ca, look for us on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram for more great information on your health. 

Military Low Back Study

Military Low Back Study

Military Military Low Back Study- Chiropractic treatment far superior to Medical treatment alone.-Back Pain Study

In a low-back pain study led by the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, 73 percent of those who received standard medical care and chiropractic care rated their improvement as pain "completely gone," "much better" or "moderately better." In comparison, 17 percent of participants who received only standard medical care rated their improvement this way.



These results are considered both clinically and statistically significant. This pilot study was conducted at an Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, with 91 active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35.

It's exciting not only because of the significant results but also because it led to Palmer College, the RAND Corporation and Samueli Institute receiving a $7.4 million, four-year grant from the Department of Defense. This grant is currently being used to conduct the largest multi-site clinical trial on chiropractic to date, with a total sample size of 750 active-duty military personnel.”


This and future studies will show chiropractic care is an important part of your health care team. Sometimes chiropractic care can be superior to medical care alone, especially for musculoskeletal problems.

Dr Kelly is located at Family First Chiropractic and are open Mon-Sat. Call 403-347-3261 to book an appointment. 142 Erickson Dr, Red Deer www.family1stchiro.ca