Treatments

Spinal pain has many different causes. Some associated symptoms may include stiffness of joints, chronic muscle spasms, discomfort with movement, and even an inability to sleep due to being unable to get comfortable at night. Although there are many, many more associated symptoms with spinal problems, all of the above cause a decrease in a person’s daily activities.

Gentle chiropractic care has been shown to be an effective method of treatment for both alleviating the above symptoms and getting to the root of the problem. If indicated, x-rays and/or MRI evaluation  can be utilized to obtain a clear understanding of the presenting problem.

There is a soft gel-like structure between each vertebra called an intervertebral disc. Its function is to cushion the vertebrae so that the bones in each spinal segment do not touch each other. A good comparison of an intervertebral disc is a “jelly donut”. The donut has a doughy outer layer that keeps the jelly contained within the donut. If the donut is squeezed, the jelly may begin to slowly ooze but still remain inside the donut.

Similarly, a spinal segment may develop what is known as a “disc bulge”. Squeeze hard enough and the jelly begins to come out of the donut. Over time — either due to trauma or years of misuse — a disc bulge can worsen and become what is known as a “herniated disc”.

Both a disc bulge and a herniated disc are serious problems that will not instantly disappear. As the bulge grows, the vertebrae start moving closer to one another and may begin to start touching, causing extreme pain. As the bones approximate (or touch), the spinal nerve which exits between each vertebrae may become compromised causing extreme pain. Numbness down the arms or legs, depending on the area of injury.

If left untreated, the patient may need surgery. If treated early enough, chiropractic care has been shown to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with the above conditions.

Headaches have a wide variety of causes. Muscle tension alone makes up about 90% of all headaches. Many people feel that chronic headaches are just a “normal” part of everyday life, and that simply “popping” an aspirin or two relieves the often agonizing pain associated with both common stress/tension type headaches or even migraines. People with muscle tension (stress) headaches can sometimes find relief in changing daily habits, such as reorganizing their workspace environment to be ergonomically correct. Also minor stretching of the neck muscles while sitting at their desk may often help to alleviate some of the symptoms of headaches.

Migraine sufferers usually do not suffer from the same frequency of pain as people with stress headaches, but the intensity and duration can be severe often interfering with an individual’s everyday living habits: lost work being one. Usually migraine sufferers have such debilitating pain, that the only remedies seem to be a dark room and sleep. Migraine sufferers usually do not receive relief from the extreme pain and feel that they have to learn to live with the problem.

The good news is that people don’t have to and shouldn’t live with chronic debilitating pain. Chiropractic is a safe, drugless profession that has a proven track record with the treatment of the chronic pain associated with migraines by getting to the cause of the problem, not just covering it up with temporary fixes to mask the symptoms.

Many headache sufferers wish they would have first tried a Chiropractor’s gentle approach to the treatment of their problem, saving them missed time from their family and away from work – not to mention money.

Improper sleeping habits, sudden movements and falls are what most people report as the cause of “pinched nerves.”

A sudden onset of pain from normal, everyday movements demonstrates the existence of a weak part in the body’s main support systems, the spine and/or muscular systems. This pain which usually lasts 3 to 4 weeks in duration, if left untreated, is still the weak link when the pain subsides. Its origin leaves the person susceptible to further injury at a later date. Even though the pain may be gone, the cause is still present.

Receiving treatment immediately begins the healing process sooner and can cut weeks of pain to just days.

For information on maladies associated with pinched nerves, click on Neck or Back Pain, Leg Pain/Sciatica, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The normal spine’s vertebrae, when viewed from front to back, are neatly stacked one on top of the other. When viewed from the side, the spine has three natural curves: one in the neck, one in the mid back and one in the lower back, all of which forms an elongated S.

The abnormal scoliotic spine, when viewed from front to back, shows excessive bending and/or twisting.

This condition is more common in young girls than boys. Also, present research indicates that, if a mother has scoliosis, her daughter is more than likely to develop the condition.

Traditional manipulative techniques have been shown to both reduce and often correct the spinal distortions of scoliosis by using gentle, safe adjustments and, depending on the severity, other non-surgical, non-invasive therapeutic methods.

Chiropractors are trained to recognize the development of scoliosis. And, if you know that you have scoliosis, you can rely on a Chiropractor to take steps to correct the scoliotic condition. But, the most successful cases to treat are the ones discovered at an early age — as young as 5 or 6 years old.

Some early warning signs include: 1) head titled to one side, 2) shoulders not level, 3) one shoulder more prominent than the other, 4) one arm hanging lower than the other, and 5) hips not level.

If you suspect that your child exhibits one or more of the warning signs listed above, you should have her (or him) immediately evaluated by a professional, such as a Chiroprator, who is trained in “postural analysis.”

In some instances, patients may feel a tingling or numbing sensation down the back of the leg. This is due to a condition, called sciatica, which is an inflamation of one of the largest nerves in your body. The pain associated with sciatica can also be severe; it can be so painful that some sufferers describe it as a knife-like, shooting, stabbing pain.

The normal path of pain usually begins in the lower back and runs down the length of the “sciatic nerve”in the leg. It may even run all the way to the foot. Although there may be many causes of sciatica, the most common is from pressure on the sciatic nerve due to spinal misalignment. Chiropractors correct this misalignment. When proper alignment of the vertebrae is restored, joints and discs no longer exert pressure on the nerve.

Millions of sufferers from sciatica have benefited from the non-surgical, drug-free approach chiropractic care affords.

One of the most common reasons people visit Chiropractors is muscle and joint pain. That’s because the muscular and skeletal system comprise over 50% of the body’s overall make-up.

Most people think of pain as the problem. But pain is actually a warning mechanism letting you know there is a problem somewhere in the body, which if left untreated, can cause significant discomfort or immobility.

Mainly, there are two different types of pain, known as acute and chronic. Acute pain normally starts with an injury and develops suddenly, such as a strained muscle from a sports injury. Chronic pain is longer term pain, usually the result of an acute injury left untreated, such as back pain from spinal decay, years after the initial strained muscle from a sports injury, for example.

Chronic injuries usually involve the formation of “trigger points” located within muscle tissue and end up interfering with everyday life. The formation of trigger points limits the body’s normal muscle activity causing tired achy muscles, muscle fatigue, and poor posture. Prolonged poor posture habits cause the normal biomechanics of the spine to become limited, stressing the vertebral joints, causing spinal decay. Trigger points are also common to a “dis-ease” known as Fibromyalgia, although not everyone with trigger points has Fibromyalgia.

Chiropractic Care affords greater limits on spinal ranges of motion, eases pain, reduces inflammation, and improves the overall quality of life safely and effectively.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is one of the most widely known Repetitive Stress Injuries. These types of injuries usually result from prolonged, improper body mechanics. CTS is common with computer users, carpenters, secretaries, and musicians.

Some symptoms of CTS include a “pins and needles” feeling in your hand. Severe pain may also be associated as well as a decrease in strength with regards to grasping or to turning movements similar to opening a jar. Although most of the pain associated with CTS is felt in the wrist and/or hand, the problem may actually be coming from the neck. The nerve associated with CTS is known as the “median” nerve. This nerve actually begins in the neck area of the spine and runs through the shoulder area, continuing the whole distance of the arm through the wrist and branching into the thumb and first few fingers.

When the spinal column impinges on the median nerve and affects the arm, wrist and hand, this is what is known as Double Crush Syndrome (DCS). In this case, the bones in the neck actually compress the nerves as they exit the spinal column — what chiropractors call a vertebral subluxation — and cause many of the associated symptoms of CTS. The medical approach is to treat the wrist/hand with injections or surgery, but that doesn’t always correct the problem.

Both CTS and DCS are problems that cause many people to lose time from work, along with pay and decrease productivity in the work place. Prevention is the best answer when it comes to occupational injuries such as CTS/DCS. Proper ergonomics (body mechanics) should always be stressed in the work environment to avoid problems. But, periodic spinal check-ups with a chiropractor should also be included to reduce the chances of suffering from the collateral effects of vertebral subluxations.

Chiropractic care isn’t just treating people in pain; it’s also maintaining the normal balance of the muscles and bones of the spine. Keeping your spine healthy can add “life to your years” and keep you in top form to continue being actively competitive in sports. In today’s sports arena, chiropractors are the norm.

Many top athletes use Chiropractic to keep them healthy so they can perform better and subsequently have longer sports careers. Many of the associated pains of the “weekend warrior”, if left untreated, can develop into serious conditions limiting their leisure activity. Chiropractic’s unique, safe treatment methods get to the cause of the problem and, not only relieve the pain, but also keep the spine and surrounding tissues strong to ward off possible injury.

Chiropractic for expectant moms? You bet! Low back pain, mid back pain, and numbness down the legs and arms are common problems associated with pregnancy.
Expectant moms often have no where to turn with these problems. Pain killers and medications often are not an option for patients due to the negative side-effects which can cause further problems with the pregnancy.

But, a healthy spine allows joints to function properly, easing some of the discomfort. As the pregnancy progresses, the body releases special hormones which causes ligaments to “stretch”, making it easier for the birthing process on joints, namely the pelvis. As the ligaments weaken, the body adapts to the changing environment and the soon to be mom’s center of gravity changes.

As this change occurs, the spine must adapt, sometimes causing mal-alignment of the spine, which cause spinal misalignments. These mal-alignments can cause pressure on the spinal nerves as they exit the spine, also called “Subluxations.” By correcting these misalignments, muscular tensions ease and allow the spine to function properly, setting the stage for a less painful and uncomfortable pregnancy.

Many women have experienced first hand the benefits of safe, gentle, chiropractic care during the full term of their pregnancy, safely, without the use of drugs.