Curing Chronic Headaches With Chiropractic Care

According to the American Chiropractic Association, nine out of ten Americans suffer from some kind of headaches. Most of these sufferers turn to pills to help them handle the pain without ever treating the root of the problem. In fact, the longer you use pills to mask the problem the more you build up a tolerance and are forced to up the dosage. This can lead to a host of problems including intestinal issues and even liver failure.

The key to ridding yourself of headaches is to target the origin of the pain which is often muscle or nerve tension in the neck. Chiropractic techniques such as massage, adjustment and digital motion x-ray can locate the source of the headache and through spinal decompression and other realignment techniques, end the cycle of pain.

So what types of headaches can benefit from chiropractic care? Ninety-five percent of headaches can be classified as primary headaches which are caused by migraines, tension and cervicogenic headaches (originating in the neck). You can think of your spinal cord as the circuit breaker for your body, containing the twenty-four circuits, or vertebrae. Each vertebra is wired along the nerves to every part of your body, including organs, glands and muscles. Any physical stress can impact those circuits and send pain shooting along your nerves, often resulting in those chronic headaches. Chiropractic techniques can be applied to all of these in order to find relief.

Migraine headaches are the result of changes in vascular flow and can be caused by smells, food, changes in weather, hormones or stress. Chiropractic adjustments, including careful manipulation of the spine and neck can reduce nerve irritation and prevent referred pain. It can also lead to improved vascular flow. Tension headaches are usually a product of chronic stress and often are combined with cervicogenic headaches. A chiropractor will use a combination of techniques to relieve pain. They may use their hands for trigger point therapy, massage, and other supporting treatments as well as gentle spinal decompression. Digital motion x-rays may be utilized to locate specific sites of disc injury. A chiropractor may also recommend some light stretches and posture changes that you can do in between treatments or on a regular basis to help prevent recurrences.

The key to finding long-term relief with chiropractic care is to find a chiropractor that you are comfortable with and to make sure to inform your regular care doctor of your new plan. The chiropractor should be able to offer advice about techniques to practice on your own and it is important to follow them regularly! Regular practice on your own and chiropractic care can offer relief to people who have lived with chronic headaches for far too long.

Sciatic Nerve Pain - Specific Chiropractic Treatment Alternatives That Eliminate Lower Back Pain

As a chiropractor here in Plano, Texas, I often have patients who come in for treatment because of lower back pain, and some find that it's the sciatic nerve that's giving them the pain. Sciatica is commonly seen as a pain of the lower back which runs down from the back into the leg. This pain can be sharp, tingling and cause numbness of the lower back and leg. As part of my chiropractic care, I prescribe non-surgical methods to bring relief to my patients.

The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest single nerve in your body. It branches off at the base of the spine and runs down each side of your pelvic area, supplying nerve impulses to your butt, legs and feet. If you've ever experienced sciatica, you know how debilitating this pain can be. I've seen patients, who could barely walk, couldn't bend over, or even stand. There are a lot of things that can trigger problems with your sciatic nerve, poor posture when you sit, slip and fall on your butt, improper swing while playing golf, and the list goes on. For most of my patients, I recommend, certain exercise, lots of rest, and certain pain medication, while they recuperate. Usually you will be back to your normal self within 2-3 weeks. However, if your pain is still severe and continues beyond 2 months, it might be necessary to consider surgery as a last resolve. In this article I will focus on alternative methods to treat this condition and leave the surgery to those more qualified.

Chiropractic Treatments and Alternatives at Home

I immediately recommend heat packs and ice packs. Both can be used independently or combined at various intervals. If you do not have access to over the counter packs, please use ice in a Ziploc bag and heated towels or a heating pad. Both should be applied for 20 to 30 minutes and then repeated every 2-3 hours. This should bring relief until the patient can get in to my office.

Along with heat and ice, I suggest that you use Tylenol, Advil, ibuprofen, or naproxen to help reduce the pain. Another consideration if the pain is very acute is the use epidural steroid injections. These injections are different from the oral steroid medicines because the steroid is given directly to the injured area and should bring immediate relief from the pain, much quicker than meds or oral steroids. This must be administered by a qualified medical specialist, I do not provide this service but can recommend other medical professionals who do.

Alternative Chiropractic Treatment at my Office

Chiropractors sometimes suggest the need for exercise. This might sound counter productive, but very mild exercise along with the other treatments listed above, can help strengthen muscles of the lower back and your stomach muscles. To qualify the type of exercise I recommend, I prescribe simple stretching starting slowly and gradually increasing as you recover and also to prevent future recurrences of sciatica or other back pain.The equipment I've installed at my office is very effective in helping with the pain and if utilized correctly, will contribute to end of sciatic pain.

Other techniques for pain relief are spinal decompression, cold laser therapy, heat and cold applied with gentle massage therapy. I have patients who I see in my office that usually need a combination of the above techniques to resolve their sciatic pain. We use various forms of massage and cold laser to relax patient's muscles, improve blood flow, and most important, the release of endorphins in the body that act as natural pain relievers.

Last but not least, a highly effective technique for treatment that is being used more and more is acupuncture. Most people think of being a human pin cushion and even though the origins of this technique were developed by the Chinese, it is an approved procedure for back pain by the FDA. A qualified and trained acupuncturist can provide relief from back pain by simply using thin needles inserted in the area where you feel discomfort. Acupuncture focuses on the applied principle of harmonizing your body's flow of energy through various pathways in the body. There is no guarantee that this or any other combination of treatments will totally eliminate sciatica from recurring but if you follow the advice of your chiropractor and seek help early, you should prevent this from happening again in the future.

Straight Chiropractic - Correcting Bad Posture

QUESTION Does having bad posture really affect my health?

ANSWER Yes, it can! A slumped over posture can lead to rounded shoulders, forward head carriage and an increased hump in the upper back. Besides looking bad it can lead to muscle aches and pains, stiffness in the neck and low back and most importantly of all spinal subluxations. Spinal subluxations are misalignments of the vertebrae in our spine. Subluxations interfere with the nervous system's ability to send messages to their intended target whether it be an organ like the liver or muscles that allow you to move. Spinal subluxations impair our body's ability to perform at peak potential. Over time chronic subluxations lead to a decline in health and eventually disease processes that may be difficult to treat because of neglect in caring for our bodies.

QUESTION How did I get bad posture?

ANSWER Bad posture can occur from repetitive activities like desk work or commuting. Muscular weakness can develop from lack of exercise, age or injury resulting in postural imbalances. Weakness in our postural muscles causes us to lose the battle against gravity resulting in slumping or rounding of our shoulders. Our bodies often begin to compensate from these postural changes leading to further imbalances in our spines and more spinal subluxations.

QUESTION How can chiropractic correct my bad posture?

ANSWER Chiropractic care corrects vertebral subluxations. By correcting misalignments through spinal adjusting nerve flow can be restored allowing the body to function normally and return to health. A body that is able to reach its full potential can begin an exercise program to include specific exercises to strengthen and stretch key muscles. Postural exercises that re-train the effect of "muscle memory" are important as well. Your muscles get used to holding you a certain way and need to be re-trained. Spinal manipulation is important to allow your spine to be in a correct position so the muscles can function as designed.

QUESTION Are there things I can do on my own to help my posture?

ANSWER Certainly! Assessing your working environment for postural stresses, poor driving habits or other repetitive tasks can be very helpful. Ergonomics is the fancy word for just this task. You can do this yourself or ask your chiropractor for advice on simple changes that can reduce the stress placed upon your body. Repetitive stress can lead to micro-trauma resulting in aches and pains that go beyond poor posture.

The Tools of the Modern Chiropractor

A modern chiropractor may specialize in a specific area only but may use a wide variety of methods and tools to address different general health issues and neuromuskuloskeletal problems. Most common methods include soft tissue therapy, dry needling, strength training, traction, functional electrical simulation, and nutritional recommendations. Alternate methods are sometimes used as a part of a holistic treatment approach.

There may be many forms of treatments involved in Chiropractic Medicine but the cornerstone of care remains to be chiropractic adjustment. This is to restore and maintain function of extremity joints and the spine.

Here are the different methods of diagnosis and care that chiropractic doctors most commonly use today:

Graston Technique

This is the latest technology in soft tissue therapy that entails deep muscle massage to relieve pain and tension along with reducing scar tissue formation. This is often applied in conjunction with chiropractic adjustments as it helps relax the muscles.

This offers a quick and effective way of treating various conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, neck pain, back pain, rotator cuff syndrome, and fibromyalgia.

The great benefits make Graston technique a popular choice among athletes like those in NBA, NFL, AFL, NHL, MLB, and even PGA.

Digital Motion X-ray (DMX)

This is a modern-day diagnostic test that allows radiologists to visualize and evaluate all body joints in motion enabling doctors to specifically determine which ligament or soft tissue is damaged or injured. This enables recording of any joint in motion with real-time, full motion x-ray imaging.

Trigger Point Injections (TPI)

This is a famous option among patients with chronic pain. This is a procedure done by treating painful areas of muscles that contain the trigger points or the knots that tensed muscles form.

The injection usually contains a local anesthetic with corticosteroid that renders the trigger point inactive that further results in alleviation of the pain.

Spinal Decompression

This is the non-surgical and drug-free method of treating chronic lower back pain, sciatica, herniated or bulging discs, degenerative disc disease, and even relapsed or failed back surgery. The method entails using a state-of-the-art technology to apply a distraction force to relieve nerve compression that causes pain.

Spinal decompression also works in the way that it causes the disc to heal through stimulating the cartilage to regenerate and causes the nutrient-rich blood to fill the disc spaces.

Kinesio (Sports Tape)

This is a latex-free therapeutic taping technique that is more popular among athletes. It is applied to the body in various ways over joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments to support and stabilize the certain area.

Kinesio taping facilitates the natural healing process of the body while helping to reduce inflammation and alleviate the pain.

Common Myths of Chiropractic Care

Holistic methods of medical care are perhaps the most ancient and hazard-free methods of healthcare available today because of natural and organic strategies. Chiropractic medicine has the capability to treat and manage all medical and metabolic issues by absolutely natural methods. However, most of the people prefer pharmacological and surgical interventions today over chiropractics and other modes of alternative medicine because of some baseless myths.

A few of these myths are:

Myth # 1: Chiropractic therapy is hazardous:

Some people think that chiropractic is considered hazardous since it requires spinal manipulation and handling with cervical vertebra, joints and intervertebral discs that may damage delicate nerves and vessels, which is not true. If you are choosing your chiropractor after deliberate research and someone who is qualified and certified, the chance of any complications or hazards is minimal.

It has been proven that back surgery (performed for realignment of intervertebral discs for back pain) has a failure rate of 80%, according to Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons compared to over 90% success rate of chiropractic therapies.

Myth # 2: Pharmacologic therapy is superior over Chiropractic therapy

Pharmacologic therapy is generally preferred over holistic methods for a number of reasons. Pills are more conveniently available from stores and you can consume it anytime you like. Secondly pills provide instant relief from symptoms within 15 minutes of intake. Conventionally speaking, a chiropractor does not provide all these advantages but in terms of long term benefits, cure and rate of complications, chiropractic therapy is ranked fairly high as compared to pharmacologic or surgical therapy.

Statistics have shown that each year almost 16,500 arthritis patients die due to NSAID related complications and so far there have been no significant long term complications associated with chiropractic therapy.

Myth # 3: Cost of chiropractic therapy is very high

People compare the cost of pills and doctor's visit with a session of chiropractic therapy and avoid the latter due to high costs; however, most of the insurance policies now consider chiropractic therapy as a mode of treatment and provide full coverage. Moreover, since chiropractics promotes natural healing processes within the body, the incidence of surgeries and other therapies is extremely low in individuals who adopt holistic methods of treatment for the maintenance of health.

The fact is, almost 7.5 million individuals undergo unnecessary medical and surgical interventions that increase the healthcare cost unnecessarily. Analytical data proved that only 13% surgical or medical therapies are effective and the efficacy status of 46% therapies is unknown as stated in the British Medical Journal clearly indicating that most of the therapies are unnecessary and economic burden on patients.

Myth # 4: Chiropractic therapy is painful:

When you are in pain, you want something that quickly relieves your pain and discomfort, which is why pain-killers are the most popular mode of therapy. Chiropractic therapy on the other hand involves a number of techniques, few of which include spinal manipulation or deep tissue massage that may be painful immediately after the procedure; however, chiropractic therapy is more effective in the long-term as compared to pain killers that just numb the tissue and add tons of toxins and metabolic by-products that are harmful for the body.

Myth # 5: Chiropractics are not doctors

For the treatment or management of any remedy, most people rely on a licensed medical doctor; however there is misconception in a lot of people that chiropractors are not real or certified doctors, which is not true. Like an average medical doctor, chiropractors study human anatomy, physiology and other medical subjects and spend 4,485 hours in a classroom. Like a medical doctor, chiropractors are also licensed practitioners and have thorough knowledge of basic spine anatomy and physiology. They also take national and state level exams for the evaluation of their skills.

According to a report published in World Federation of Chiropractic Congress a basic exam was constructed in order to access the knowledge and grip of healthcare professionals on the subject of musculoskeletal physiology and pathophysiology. To everybody's surprise, almost 82% of medical orthopedic residents failed the same test that 70% chiropractic final quarter students passed. Amazing but true!

Myth # 6: Chiropractic therapy is not for all individuals:

Technically chiropractic treatment can serve as a mainstream therapy to treat moderate to severe spinal, musculoskeletal or neurovascular issues in individuals of all age groups. There is a common myth that chiropractic therapy is only helpful for treatment in the elderly and must not be used to treat issues in children. According to recommendations of OSHA, this type of therapy is extremely safe in children and since physical/ musculoskeletal injuries are very common, chiropractic therapy is perhaps the safest and most recommended form of treatment for spinal and physical injuries.

To sum up, there are a number of other myths but most of the misconceptions hold no ground. Chiropractic therapy is not only cost-effective but is also more convenient and has no long terms risks or side effects. Besides, it helps the body to heal with natural and organic methods and improves overall health and fitness.

Chiropractic Treatment - Misunderstood and Under Used

Chiropractic treatment has been around for just over 125 years. Yet, it is still one of the most misunderstood treatment options in America. This fact probably stems from bad press.. some deserved and some not so.

Let me explain... In the mid 1930's there existed two professions that focused on the correlation between proper spinal function and health. They were really two different organizations that did basically the same thing. Chiropractic and Osteopathy. Both professions, at that point in their existence focused entirely on manipulation of the spine in order to restore proper bodily function. During that time period, the AMA offered both societies the opportunity to join them. The only caveat... they would both have to include the use of medication in their treatment of patients. The osteopaths agreed, the chiropractors stuck to their roots and said no. Unfortunately, the AMA did not think too kindly to rejection. It wasn't as if the early chiropractors were dissing the AMA, it was just that they wanted to give people a separate and distinct alternative for health care.

Along the way, the chiropractic profession has suffered a tremendous amount of bad press along with serious negativity from most family physicians. It is easy to understand why... up until the 1980's it was an ethics violation for medical doctors to even share records with a chiropractor. This all came to a head with a landmark court case in which the AMA, among others were found guilty of violating Sherman Anti trust laws.. ie. trying to monopolize the health field. ( for all the details see Wilk v. American Medical Association, 895 F.2d 352 (7th Cir. 1990), was a federal antitrust suit brought against the American Medical Association (AMA) and 10 co-defendants by chiropractor Chester A. Wilk, DC, and four co-plaintiffs. It resulted in a ruling against the AMA.

After the lawsuit came to an end, medical doctors were forced to share records with chiropractors, but the damage was already done. There were fully two generations of people who were brainwashed into thinking that chiropractic was dangerous and had no benefit for people. That has been very difficult to overcome for the chiropractic profession, because of the inbred bias against the profession. To be accurate, lets note that in the early 1940's and 1950's the education and training of chiropractors was much different than current day., So, at that time, some of the bad press was probably warranted. However, today, chiropractors are licensed in all 50 states and are very well trained. There is much more rigorous control on all doctors of all disciplines in today's world. That is a good thing, because patients need to have the assurances that they are receiving treatment from highly qualified professionals.

To give you a very small description as to why chiropractic care should be utilized in order to have the best health possible, consider the following..... Our brains control all functions of our body...No argument there. Over 90% of the information coming out of the brain travels through the spinal column before it goes to the vital cells, organs, and tissues of the body. In order to have the best health, the spine must be functioning as it was designed in order for those cells tissues and organs to work properly. This fact simply makes sense. There was a recent study that showed that chiropractic treatment was the most cost effective procedure for helping back pain. But even that is short sighted. Chiropractic care helps your health because it restores proper nerve function. That has much more long reaching effects than just pain relief. For more information and to have your questions answered feel free to visit the website below.

Neck Pain - Chiropractic Care Related to Cervical Spine Injury

Most people do not realize how much stress is on their neck, with its great degree of flexibility and support of your 12-14 pound head, coupled with the fact that it has the least amount of muscular stabilization in the spine means that your neck is very susceptible to injury. The spinal cord runs directly through middle opening of vertebrae and sends signals to every muscle, organ, and system of the body. Between each pair of cervical vertebrae, the spinal cord sends out a nerve that runs anywhere from your neck and upper back down to the hands and fingers. This means that if you get pain, numbness, tinging, cold or other symptoms in your hand and arm, it can actually be a problem in your neck! This can often mimic and can be confused with carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes a similar pain in the wrist and hand.

Your neck was also created with built-in shock absorbers, including both the intervertebral disc and whats called a cervical lordosis or curve. This curve acts like a spring and absorbs the shock of your head resting on your neck. When your neck loses this lordotic curve, the ligaments of the neck become stretched and lose their ability to maintain the curve. This would resemble the pressure a bowling ball resting on top of a spring versus a bowling ball now on top of a stick. Which do you think causes more pressure? This loss of the lordotic curve can occur from a number of things including an automobile accident, chronic poor posture, or vertebral misalignments left untreated by a chiropractor.

Poor posture is a very common cause of joint dysfunction in the neck, and can cause problems in the shoulders and upper back as well. This is a very common trend seen in a chiropractic office. Bad postural habits are often the result of poor tendencies such as reading in bed, slouching while sitting or driving, and leaning forward to look at a computer screen. These are causes of poor posture, and each one of them can be corrected by getting adjusted by your chiropractor and learning the proper way to position yourself during day to day activities. One thing to keep in mind with neck posture is to not let your head bend forward or hunch for long periods of time. Also, make sure you get up and walk around every hour to keep motion in the joints if you are sitting in one position for a long time. When you are sitting, make sure your head is in a neutral position and you back is supported, keep your knees slightly lower than your hips, and rest your arms especially if you are working with a keyboard or mouse.

Bozeman Chiropractic