Family Chiropractic

Posts Tagged ‘chiropractor’

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Your chiropractor in Grand Rapids has treated many individuals who have an unusual side-to-side, or lateral, curvature of the spine called scoliosis. If you aren’t familiar with the way scoliosis appears, you may unintentionally confuse it with poor posture because frequently someone who has scoliosis gives the appearance of leaning to one side.

But, there are one or two ways for you to observe the difference between poor posture and scoliosis even before you see your Grand Rapids chiropractor. If you were to observe a person with scoliosis in a standing position, you would probably be able to see that one shoulder is higher than the other, and that the scapula (shoulder blade) is raised or more prominent. In addition, if the person’s arms were hanging loosely at his or her sides, you might notice a greater space between the arm and the body on one side. Moreover, one hip may be raised or more conspicuous than the other. And one more clue might be that the head will not look as if it is in plumb with the pelvis.

Scoliosis is often mild in nature, but it can be quite severe. In fact, both pulmonary and cardiac functions can be hindered if the curve and rib rotation are acute enough. In all but a small percentage of scoliosis cases, the cause is not known. This type of scoliosis (Idiopathic) tends to run in families and is believed to have a genetic component.

In general, Idiopathic Scoliosis takes place during adolescence when the body is completing the last major growth spurt. This type of scoliosis is most frequently found in girls. A scoliotic curve, if found, should be monitored for any progression. Your chiropractor in Grand Rapids will not only provide periodic examinations, but will suggest standing x-rays if needed.

As mentioned above, most (nearly 90 percent) of scoliotic curvatures are mild to moderate, and make a brace unnecessary. Therefore, regular chiropractic care, in these cases, is beneficial in both in decreasing and adjusting any compensatory musculoskeletal conditions that may occur.

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It may not be surprising to you that chiropractors like me, your Walnut Creek chiropractor, have a superior reputation when it comes to relieving back pain. Suffice it to say that chiropractors are highly experienced when it comes to the spine. In fact, if I had my way, the word “chiropractor” would follow the word “spine” in the dictionary! Anyone who’s ever suffered from back pain — be it mild, moderate, or severe — who has chosen chiropractic treatment — whether from a chiropractor in Walnut Creek or anywhere else in the world where chiropractic treatment is available — has discovered the power of this extraordinary non-invasive, drug-free treatment for relieving back pain. And, you won’t find it surprising to know that since chiropractors are also experts when it comes to treating the rest of the musculoskeletal system, chiropractic care can often get rid of neck pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, hip pain, knee pain, and ankle pain. Chiropractic treatment can also give relief from conditions such as stress headaches, migraines, carpal tunnel, and plantar fascitis.  The healing capabilities of chiropractic are numerous!

At times, even for chiropractors, the potency of chiropractic treatment and its ability to help people get rid of pain and get their life back again can appear, well, almost miraculous. I feel gratified when I hear the many testimonials given by chiropractic patients who have not only experienced pain relief through chiropractic treatment, but also experienced increased life and energy, stress reduction and relaxation, and a greater ability to get a good night’s sleep.

Still, sometimes I come across something, like this particular research article I read in the scientific periodical, Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health, and I am moved to a new level of admiration for my profession. The research documented the case of a severely disabled 16-year-old girl experiencing spasticity and sleep disturbances due to Cerebral Palsy. It was her inability to sleep through the night that caused her family the most distress. To compound the young girl’s condition,when she was seven years old, surgeons fused metal rods in her spine, from neck to base.

The mother of the girl hoped that chiropractic treatment could correct her daughter’s spinal subluxations and help to decrease her often horrendous pain. One can only imagine that the examination was difficult. But the chiropractor was able to determine that there were several subluxations that could be safely corrected. The chiropractor treated the girl twice per week. By her sixth adjustment, the girl was sleeping normally through the night. By her ninth visit she showed an improvement in her muscle spasticity as measured by specific instruments.

Though complete recovery was not expected, the authors of the research article noted that “the patient and her family were able to return to a normal sleep schedule as well as enjoy improved quality of life.”

“Improved quality of life.” Who could ask for more from treatment?  No one! But, let me tell you, more chiropractors hear those words from their patients than medical doctors do.

Technorati Tags: back pain, chiropractic treatment, chiropractor, improved quality of life

Cincinnati Chiropractor

At Cincinnati Chiropractic I treat a lot of elders who are challenged by balance problems. In fact, nine percent of adults, aged 65 and over, experience dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related problems. Good balance is extremely important, of course, in aiding elders to continue to be independent and to avoid falling down and encounter injuries that are often extremely serious or even fatal. But, would you be surprised to hear that falls contribute to a large portion of work injuries for workers under 65 years of age, including workers in their twenties and thirties? That’s right! No one is exempt from to balance difficulties, no matter what their age may be. It is for this reason that those who work at “dangerous heights” like construction workers, roofers, oil platform employees, windows cleaners, or anywhere else where a ladder is required are in danger of serious injury if their balance is “off.”

The chief capacity of good balance is to help us to manage and maintain our body position, whether standing still or moving, and whether on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance assists us in walking without stumbling, arising from a sitting position without tottering, and in climbing stairs without tripping. To sum it up, then, good balance is essential to our health and well-being.

What come as a surprise to you is that you could have a balance abnormality without realizing how significant it is. Often times someone can “shake off” a dizzy feeling and the sensation may not return for a while. But, when unexpected dizziness happens at a consequential moment, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is often inevitable.

The feeling by some individuals that they, personally, are spinning or that objects around them are moving is termed “vertigo.” Close to forty percent of people in the U.S. will have at least one incidence of dizziness that is serious enough to seek out a health professional, like your Chiropractor at Cincinnati Chiropractic. But, if you work at any of the jobs listed above, it is an excellent idea for you to see a chiropractor to have your balance checked prior to an unexpected episode of dizziness, rather than as a response to such an episode. Why? Because as a chiropractor, I can not only check your balance, and make adjustments if needed, but can aid you in maintaining good balance in the future. And, of course, having good balance may save you from serious injury or worse.

Balance disorders at any age are risky. If you feel as if you may have a possible balance disorder, it is extremely important for you to be diagnosed and treated without delay. To help to make your decision easier if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, even if the experience is seldom or infrequent, you should discuss the symptom(s) with a chiropractor as soon as possible:

• Have you experienced a feeling of being “unsteady?”

• Has the room seemed to spin around you?

• Has there ever a time when you felt as if you were moving when you knew you were standing still?

• Have you lost your balance and/or fallen down?

• Have you ever felt as if you were falling?

• Has your vision ever become “blurred?”

• Have you ever felt disoriented, or lost a sense of time, place or identity?

It is important for you to remember that balance problems are not isolated to a particular age group. From the time we learn to walk until we take our final step, our falling down is possible. All the more reason to have your balance checked if you work in a job that makes your falling down a “critical” issue. Don’t wait until it’s too late! If you’re in the Cincinnati area, give Cincinnati Chiropractic a call today!

Technorati Tags: balance, chiropractic, chiropractor, dizziness, falls, vertigo

Oxnard Chiropractor

Donald Bolt, DC, your Oxnard Chiropractor, understands that allergy symptoms can make your day-to-day existence  unpleasant. A stroll in the park, a play date with Fluffy, a seafood pasta, or just something as minute as a nut can easily produce such miserable complaints as itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or a skin rash.

On the other hand, in certain cases a sufferer’s allergic reactions can go from merely annoying to dangerous and even life-threatening as the air passageway begins to tighten and inhaling and exhaling becomes a struggle. This progression of difficulties can often bring about a state of acute anxiety and a trip to the emergency room.

Allergic reactions can, without a doubt, develop into a very serious hindrance and make you feel incapable of participating in life. Actually, should you be one of the many people who have allergic reactions, it might perhaps appear to you that, on occasion, your environment is a extremely antagonistic space and that natural environment out there you is, literally, out to get you!

Perhaps you wonder as to why it is that other human beings appear so unsusceptible to the exact same environmental stresses that send your body into overwhelm. Others appear either unaware of or plainly`totally unresponsive to the would-be irritants that lie in wait at every turn, while your system reacts, or rather overreacts, to them. Why you? It’s a appropriate question. The answer is that some individuals, just like you, have a hyperactive immune system that virtually “goes crazy” when you come upon common substances like pollen, dander, shellfish, or nut products.

Can your Chiropractor in Oxnard assist you in obtaining a lasting reduction in your allergy symptoms? Happily, the answer is a resounding “Yes,” and the treatment could perhaps surprise you. Scores of chiropractic patients have realized that they enjoy freedom from their allergy symptoms following a chiropractic adjustment, even though chiropractic care doesn’t actually treat allergies, per se. The scientific explanation for the decline in allergy symptoms is due to the fact that chiropractic adjustment impacts the complete nervous system, which includes the autoimmune system, which is the cause of your hypersensitive responses. In the event that there is a disruption in the nervous system, in addition to other challenges, the autoimmune system, whose job it is to allow you to adjust and respond appropriately to your environment, will likely become under-active or overactive. When it comes to your allergies, the dysfunction is the latter (it becomes overactive).

Because chiropractic manipulations are meant to diminish or even entirely eliminate agitations in the nervous system and bring back balance and harmony to the whole body, along with a variety of corrections, the treatments offer homeostasis to the autoimmune system as well. A robust immune system reacts properly to so-called allergens in the atmosphere.

So, as pointed out above, your Chiropractor in Oxnard doesn’t literally target allergic reactions, but then that doesn’t indicate your allergies won’t get better or go away completely. On the other hand, you could say, instead, that relief from your allergies is solely the result of your rebalanced nervous system. If you would like to get back into a harmonious relationship with your environment as quickly as is possible, call Dr. Bolt, your Chiropractor in Oxnard, today. He can help you get your life back!

Technorati Tags: allergic reactions, allergies, allergy relief, autoimmune system, chiropractic, chiropractor

Muskego Chiropractor

As a Muskego Chiropractor for almost 13 years, I’ve noticed that the majority humans don’t think about their shoulders too much unless they’re experiencing shoulder pain and need a chiropractor. But, did you know that your incredible shoulder joint, with its surrounding muscle groups, ligaments and tendons known as the rotator cuff, has the most mobility of any joint in your entire body? In fact, most shoulder pain occurs in the rotator cuff. These muscles, ligaments, and tendons connect your upper arm bone to your shoulder blade and also helps to lock the ball of your upper arm solidly in its shoulder socket. Shoulder muscles in this area can become tight, and even weak, from repetitive stress, and the nerves can become inflammed making movement painful and restricted.

However, even though we’re probably not actually thinking about our shoulders, directly, we still expect them to enact a whole variety of actions throughout our day, elaborate, complex motions that are beneficial to many of the things we do in our life – at work and at play.

Provided that our shoulders are in good condition, these natural ranges of motion usually won’t produce shoulder pain. Consequently, if we’re experiencing shoulder pain, it’s not likely that it is solely because we’ve been overworking our shoulders in repetitive movements such as lifting over our head or other overhead arm movements, like throwing a baseball, swinging a tennis racket, or simply putting items on upper shelves. In addition, it is because we’ve been performing these movements “despite” an existing injury that hasn’t been addressed. What does this mean for you? It means that these kinds of repetitive activities tend to inflame the nerves in the shoulder, place stress on the joints, create pain, and cause wear and tear of the tissues encircling the joints because the movements are being impeded by a shoulder impingement problem that already exists.

The intensity of a shoulder impingement syndrome can extend from a slight “catching” pain upon a particular movement, especially raising your arm(s) over your head, to close to a complete incapacitation of the shoulder. However, even when the sensation is only “slightly noticable,” it is crucial to neither discount the problem nor “move through” the pain. Shoulder impingement should be taken seriously. It’s usual progression is from “bad to worse.” And, clearly, never mask shoulder pain with prescription drugs and then continue work or play activities. If left untreated, some shoulder challenges, such as Rotator Cuff Syndrome, all too often result in surgery and a long rehabilitation.

As your Muskego chiropractor I will look for the cause of your shoulder pain and adjust the condition at its root. Your chiropractor will help to bring back natural mobility to your shoulder joint and will provide rehabilitation exercises that will not only further decrease the shoulder pain you are currently experiencing, but will help you to prevent shoulder problems in the future. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Call me if you’re in the Muskego area. Otherwise, see your chiropractor today!

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Your Dallas Chiropractor knows from experience that knee problems can be deeply painful and even debilitating. There are a variety of reasons why individuals experience knee pain. And, it’s important to know that anyone, at any age, is at risk. Knee problems can occur due to trauma sustained from a fall, an auto accident, a sports injury, or some other acute, traumatic event. That said, however, the knee problems that most of us experience, in particular as we get older, are considered “non-trauma knee problems.” This is to say, the majority of knee problems don’t occur because of a sudden injury to the knee, but rather because of long-term dysfunction and stress on the knee due to excessive weight, poor gait, and other stresses on the knee joint and surrounding tissue that, over time, have developed into “noticeable” to “extreme” knee pain.

Would it surprise you to know that chiropractors like me, your chiropractor in Dallas, treat almost as many patients with knee pain as we do patients with back problems? It’s true! But, we, chiropractors, would likely have far less patients with knee problems if more people came in sooner for back care. That’s right! Keeping your back in alignment can help prevent knee pain!

How is that possible? The answer is that the musculoskeletal system of the body operates in a compensatory, “chain-reaction” manner. Which is to say that when one area of the musculoskeletal system isn’t functioning correctly, the rest of the system shifts and tilts in order to compensate for the problem.  For instance, pain in the patella (kneecap), also known as Patella Femoral Syndrome (Knee Cap Pain) is frequently due to imbalances in the quadriceps muscles of the thigh that connect to and move the patella. These imbalances often start in the lower back, particularly in the sacroiliac joint. It’s not unlike the old song, “…the knee bones connected to the thigh bone…”. We are one, whole, organic structure from our head to our toes. That is why challenges are never isolated. So, it’s not just your back that’s the culprit! For example, reduced foot mechanics in response to foot pain generally causes painful knee problems as well. In addition, poor knee tracking due to inappropropriate gait patterns, such as pronation (walking like a duck with toes pointed out rather than straight ahead), can cause stress on the knee joints and extreme pain over time. And, finally, excess body weight and, sorry, ladies, but the wearing of high heels on a regular basis more often than not causes knee problems over time.

Happily, chiropractic care can reestablish healthy muscle balance, restore appropriate movement to the patella and other knee joints, and adjust subluxations of the sacroiliac joints or bones of the foot. Knee replacement surgery in an attempt to relieve knee pain should be a last resort!
It it vitally important that you never ignore knee pain, or “play through” knee pain, or continue walking in those lovely Jimmy Choo heels when your knees are aching. Pain is the body’s way of letting you know that there’s a problem that needs correcting. If knee problems are left untreated, knee joint tissue, particularly the cartilage, will continue to erode. If the bones begin to rub on one another, changes such as bone spurs can occur.

As we age, certain musculoskeletal problems tend to increase, such as knee pain and degerative joint disease (osteoarthritis). However, no matter what your age is today, right this minute you are younger than you will ever be again. See your Dallas Chiropractor today…for tomorrow’s sake!

Technorati Tags: arthritis, chiropractic, chiropractor, knee injury, knee pain

Corona Chiropractor

Your Corona Chiropractor offers a potent non-surgical, drug-free approach to decreasing hip pain and often eliminating it altogether. Whenever possible, surgery should be seen as a final option. Therefore, before you schedule a surgery to replace that hip, ask yourself the following questions: Is it impossible for you to get a good night’s sleep because your hip pain wakes you up in the night? When you get out of bed in the morning, and/or when you step out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it hard at first to move your legs? Do you feel pain whenever you rotate or twist them or when you cross your legs? If these symptoms sound familiar, it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in your lower extremities that are not only causing your hip pain, but can lead to osteoarthritis in your hips in the future if not treated. The good news is that chiropractic treatment can help whether or not degenerative changes have already taken place!

You may be getting older and it may be true that your hip joints aren’t what they used to be. Even so, did you know that your hip pain and related problems, which usually signal age-related degenerative conditions, may not actually be created by osteoarthritis? That’s right. In fact, rather than being the root cause of your condition, osteoarthritis of the hip joint is often the consequence of a prior injury (or injuries) to your hips.

Hip problems commonly have to do with asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion, like walking for example. If you tend to walk “pronated” like a duck, with your toes pointing away from your body, sooner or later you will experience pain in your hips as a result of the asymmetrical stress on your hip joints and your body’s efforts to compensate. Fortunately, you can learn to change your gait pattern at any age, and your chiropractor in Corona can show you how to do it.

Moreover, you may have developed gait changes because of an ankle sprain or knee strain, and since “the knee bone’s connected to the hip bone,” these biomechanical alterations generate pain in the hip(s). There is no doubt that, if not treated, your hip joints will suffer further consequences, which is the wear and tear that creates degenerative changes.

Other situations that can frequently adversely affect the hip joints are starting a new job or beginning a new sport that necessitates your moving your body in atypical ways. Also, transporting a child (or grandchild) on one hip can create hip pain. Even the way you sit or driving for prolonged periods of time on a regular basis can cause hip injury and pain.

So you can see that not every pain is caused by “old age,” even though we may experience more pain as the result of the progressive activity of untreated injuries.

In addition to your adjustments, as an integral part of your chiropractic management, your Corona Chiropractor will provide appropriate rehabilitative exercises that include gentle muscle stretching and strengthening, and will also study your gait and may recommend simple pattern changes.

Your hip pain won’t vanish by itself. Hip pain is a signal that something needs correcting. If neglected, there is a good possibility that you will eventually require that hip replacement surgery. So, don’t put off until tomorrow, what truly needs to be done today. Your Corona Chiropractor can get you out of pain, get your body back into balance, and help you get to back to enjoying your life again!

Technorati Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, hip pain, osteoarthritis

Let’s face it, there’s just no getting around the fact that as we age our body responds differently than it used to when we were younger. It just doesn’t seem fair that as our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive,”  our body seems to become less “cooperative.” We’re stiff when we get out of bed; certain activities during the day make us sore at night; and, if we’re not truly careful, even a movement as simple as turning too fast or bending over to pick up a dropped object, can send our back or some other muscle group into spasm. Fortunately, there are specialized techniques for us, “boomers,” that is not only beneficial in slowing down the aging process of the body, but can aid us in avoiding some of those problems completely.

Take arthritis for example. In point of fact, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, traditional medicine fails to address this age-related affliction. What is the reason? The answer is that most medical doctors treat the symptoms of arthritis. The chiropractic approach is to discover the origin of the condition and treat the pain at its source.  For more than one hundred years, chiropractors, like your Chiropractor in Santa Clara, have been helping individuals suffering from back pain and other problems caused by arthritic changes in the musculoskeletal system.

Arthritic changes occur as your body ages because, over time, wear of certain joints takes place as a consequence of repetitive stresses, as well as years of poor gait, bad posture, and lack of beneficial movement. Chiropractic adjustments reestablish motion in your joints and ease any vertebral misalignments that may be producing irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also lower your resistance and immunity? It’s an irrefutable fact, and this may be one of the reasons why it may seem that as you get older you develop more health problems and that it often takes longer for you to feel better again. Studies have shown that older individuals who are under chiropractic care stay healthier. In fact, you could say that, as you get older, chiropractic treatment is good for what ails you!

Chiropractors are experts when it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, from the small, growing frame of an infant to the full-grown body of an aging adult.  Your chiropractor understands the aging process and has exceptional observational and diagnostic skills that aid in locating spinal misalignments and joint problems. A chiropractic examination can, in fact, frequently reveal some age-related conditions before they’ve begun to create noticeable pain. Furthermore, your Chiropractor in Santa Clara can evaluate your posture and analyze your gait to identify faulty patterns that could generate further arthritic changes.

So, if feeling your age has become a painful experience, make an appointment with your Santa Clara Chiropractor today!

Technorati Tags: aging, arthritis, chiropractic, chiropractor

Wichita Chiropractor

I am aware from more than twenty years experience as a Chiropractor in Wichita helping people suffering from the pain of sciatica that the condition can be extremely disabling. Sciatica sufferers are regrettably all too familiar with the kind of deep pain that frequently radiates through the lower part of their body, accompanies their waking hours each day and inhibits almost all of their daily activities.

Are you wondering if your low back pain could be caused by sciatica? You are probably suffering from sciatica if your pain travels from your low back, through one or both sides of your buttocks, down the large sciatic nerve in the back of your leg(s), and possibly penetrates into your knee(s). Also, sitting, as well as movement, can be painful. Often lying down will decrease, or sometimes even temporarily get rid of the pain. Even so, it’s important for you to know that sciatica will not go away without appropriate treatment.

Radiculopathy

A radiculopathy is a medical term used to describe a condition where a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve, or nerve root, that forms part of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. Such pressure is extremely painful.

Prolonged sitting, especially with bad posture, can create imbalances in the muscles enclosing the spine and additional pressure on the intervertebral discs. Generally, a particular event or injury doesn’t cause sciatica, but rather sciatica tends to progress over time as a consequence of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. Eventually the lower spine can lose its ability to function normally during everyday stresses.

When this happens, the intervertebral disc develops small fissures or cracks, which then let the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. Pain is created as the disc pushes on sensitive tissues. This condition is often known as a ruptured, or slipped, disc. Sciatica is the result of the disc pressing on the spinal nerve. With chiropractic manipulation and management, which usually includes postural exercises, most disc problems, including sciatica, can be totally alleviated.

Periformis Syndrome

Another cause of sciatic pain is periformis syndrome. Periformis syndrome occurs when the periformis muscle, which is superficial to the sciatic nerve, goes into spasm and irritates the nerve. In combination with chiropractic treatment, this kind of sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor will suggest.

If you are experiencing sciatic pain, it is extremely important for you to seek chiropractic attention. If you are in the Wichita area, as your Wichita Chiropractor, I look forward to helping you to get out of pain and get your life back!

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