Chiropractic care can help with a wide range of symptoms and problems. We have listed some of the more common conditions that you may recognize in yourself or others. If you or someone you know are experiencing any of these problems, please contact us for an appointment today.

DISC PROBLEMS

The disc is the cartilage pad between the spinal bones. It has a soft jellylike center encased in several cross-woven layers of fibrous tissue. Each disc serves as a connector, spacer, and shock absorber for the spine. Healthy discs provide the flexibility for the bending and turning we put our spines through in our daily activities.

Because the discs have a very poor blood supply, they depend upon the normal movement of the spine to "pump" waste products out and draw nutrition into the tissues, just like the dry, dirty sponge at the kitchen sink - squeezed it a few times under the tap and you have a clean, wet sponge. If a spinal joint loses its normal motion, this pumping action is impaired and the health of the disc deteriorates. Like a wet sponge, a healthy disc is flexible. A dry sponge is hard, stiff, and can crack easily. This is how many disc problems begin.

Because of the way each disc is attached to the vertebra above and below it, a disc cannot "slip", as commonly thought. However, trauma or injury to the spine can cause discs to bulge, herniate, or worse, rupture. This can be quite painful, putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots, interfering with their function. While results cannot be guaranteed, many patients have avoided needless surgery or a dependency on pain pills, by choosing conservative chiropractic care.

WHIPLASH

Even a minor automobile accident can have major effects on your health. When one car collides with another, drivers and passengers are subjected to sudden, abnormally high G-forces at the head, neck, and spine. "Whiplash" can occur at surprisingly slow speeds and is the result of the head and neck being thrown or "snapped" back and forth. The resulting instability of the spine and soft tissues can cause headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, pain in the shoulder, arms and hands, reduced ability to turn and bend, and even low back problems. As the body attempts to adapt, symptoms may not appear for weeks or even months later.

Receiving chiropractic care after an accident can make the difference between complete recovery and lingering pain and disability which can last years after the accident. After a thorough examination and case history, the doctor will recommend a series of visits to help restore proper motion and position of the spinal bones. If caught early enough, inflammation can be reduced and scar tissue can often be minimized. Consult a Chiropractic Doctor before enduring constant headaches, depending upon addictive pain medication, or submitting to surgery.

OSTEOARTHRITIS

"Osteo" or, more properly termed, "Degenerative" Arthritis is a condition characterized by the gradual breakdown of joint cartilage, most common in the weight bearing joints of the body, such as the knees, hips, and back. It is also common in the neck and hands. As the joint is broken down, it can lead to joint stiffness and increased strain on the muscles in that area. Additionally, as joint function changes it can lead to movement compensations and place strain on other areas of the body as well.

Although degenerative changes are common with age, they are not "normal"; just as cavities in the teeth are common, but not "normal". It is the result of abnormal wear and tear due to abnormal biomechanics in the joints. Recent research has shown that it is not the degeneration of the joint that is responsible for the pain, but the effects the degeneration has on how the joint is functioning - particularly the stiffness and muscle strain of trying to move a joint that is degenerating.

Chiropractic care focuses on restoration and maintenance of function by emphasizing joint movement and increasing the ability of the muscles to support and stabilize the affected joints.

JOINT DYSFUNCTION

Joints of the body need to move. When this movement becomes restricted and normal motion is altered several problems arise. Most commonly, joint dysfunction results in pain, stiffness, muscle tightness, cartilage breakdown/degeneration, and movement compensation leading to undue stress on other areas of the body.

Joint dysfunction is common in the spine and the extremities and can occur as a result of injury, poor posture, muscles tightness, scar tissue, or muscle imbalance.

NECK/LOW BACK PAIN

Imbalance of the spinal column, causing pressure or tension on spinal nerves is one of the most common causes of neck and low back pain. Muscle spasms may set in, which can increase the stress even further. This can cause even more inflammation and irritation, which leads to more pain. And the cycle continues. Often times stretching and massage may only temporarily relieve the pain, because the cause, the actual imbalance in the spine, has not been addressed.

Chiropractic adjustments focus on correcting the imbalance and relieving the pressure and tension on the nerves.

HEADACHES

It has been estimated that 80% of headaches originate from the neck. Usually an increased amount of stress and tension, held in the shoulders, causes contractions of all of the surrounding neck muscles. When these muscles contract, vertebrae can become misaligned causing pressure on spinal nerves, and ultimately pain.

With a typical cervicogenic (neck origin) headache, a person usually feels pain starting at the base of the skull which radiates into the temples, eyeballs, and forehead.

There may be several other causes of headaches, so a proper examination is needed to determine the actual cause.

SCIATICA

The sciatic nerve is a long nerve originating in the lower back and extending down the back of the leg. When this nerve is irritated, it can cause pain, numbness, weakness, or other symptoms in the lower back and down the leg. This is classic "sciatica".

There are several possible causes of this condition. A misaligned vertebra can cause inflammation of the joints, putting pressure on the nerve. Bulging discs and muscle spasms can also cause pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Several other conditions may cause these symptoms, so a complete evaluation would be needed to correctly assess the exact cause.

PINCHED NERVE

A "pinched" nerve is just that. It is a compressed nerve, usually caused by misalignment of vertebrae. But, contrary to what you might think, when nerves get pinched they DON'T cause pain - they cause a LOSS of FUNCTION. Depending upon what the nerve is attached to, that LOSS may or may not cause pain.

Inflamed nerves, on the other hand cause even more discomfort. Inflammation of a nerve can be caused by chronic irritation due to rubbing against bone or other structure, or close proximity to other surrounding tissues that have become inflamed. The pain is often so severe that you can't move that part of the body, and it can cause other symptoms, as well.

There can be several causes of the "pinched" nerve syndrome; a proper examination is needed to determine the exact cause and proper course of treatment.

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

In a world full of keyboards and computer mice, millions of people have jobs which put the hands and arms under a lot of stress. Repetitive movements performed with improper ergonomics can cause micro-trauma to the hands and wrists. This trauma, combined with underlying joint dysfunction, may result in numbness and tingling, weakness, spasms or cramping in the arms and hands - a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome.

The nerve which is affected travels from the tips of the fingers through the wrist up the arm and into the neck connecting to the spinal cord. If one or more of these structures are affected, symptoms of wrist pain, numbness, weakness, burning and loss of muscle function can occur.

Chiropractic care can improve the function of the joints and muscles along the path of the nerve, thus reducing nerve irritation and the associated symptoms.

MAINTENANCE CARE

What many people don't know is that you don't have to be injured to benefit from chiropractic care. Benefits of maintenance care include optimal nerve input/output for optimal physical performance, coordination, improved posture, decreased stiffness, increased mobility, energy, strength, circulation, and immune function, just to name a few.

By staying well-adjusted with maintenance chiropractic care, you can actually help prevent injury, because when your body is functioning at its best, your balance, reflexes and reaction times also improve, making you less prone to accidents.

Everybody benefits from chiropractic a little differently, but one thing everybody has in common is that they just feel better.

ALLERGIES

Millions of people who suffer from a wide variety of conditions, allergies included, have benefited from chiropractic care even though chiropractic is not an allergy treatment. Why? Because chiropractic is a method of healthcare that supports your body to achieve its best possible level of function. That is especially important if you suffer from allergic reactions.

What is an allergic reaction? Your immune system works 24/7 to protect you from all kinds of environmental damage. It recognizes and attacks anything that is not supposed to be inside you: bacteria, and viruses, pollutants, dust, pollen, drugs, tumors, dead pieces of your own skin cells, and even donor organs. An "allergic reaction" is what happens when your immune system OVER-reacts to a common substance which, under normal circumstances might cause no reaction at all. This can cause multiple reactive problems of its own.

A healthy immune system produces high resistance to disease and infection, better ability to deal with stress and greater health and well-being. Recent research in psychoneuroimmunology has shown that when the nervous system function improves, the immune system also improves. Chiropractic care relieves stress on the nervous system, permitting the immune system to function more effectively-something all allergy sufferers need.

FIBROMYALGIA

Fibromyalgia is a controversial and complicated condition to understand. For proper diagnosis and treatment, a wide variety of factors need to be considered including "head-to-toe" joint and muscle function, nutrition, and lifestyle issues. A thorough examination including orthopedic and neurological testing, as well as other specialized tests, will help to determine the exact causes of your symptoms and your individualized treatment plan.

Very often, a comprehensive treatment program addressing all of these issues leads to significant improvement. Joint and soft tissue manipulation is often very helpful in relieving the aches and pains of fibromyalgia and related conditions.

Other treatment options may include acupuncture, therapeutic exercises, and massage therapy & myofascial release techniques. These procedures, combined with nutritional & herbal medicine, and/or homeopathy constitute a comprehensive, holistic approach.

Although researchers are still a long way from finding a "cure" for fibromyalgia, chiropractic care is usually very successful in the effective management of this condition. However, if after examination we conclude that your case cannot be helped with conservative care, a prompt referral will be made.