- Common Chiropractic conditions
- Neck/Back Pain
- Headaches
- Allergies
- Disc Problems
- Osteoarthritis
- Joint Dysfunction
- Sciatica
- Pinched Nerve
- Wellness tips
- FAQs
Common Chiropractic conditions
There are many reasons why someone would need chiropractic care. Dr. Ted’s philosophy of chiropractic care is focused on getting you well and keeping you well. He will treat any immediate problems you have and then you can make a decision if you want follow up chiropractic visits for maintenance or wellness to increase flexibility and mobility, give you a higher level of energy, improve your posture, enhance your immune system, help your circulation and an overall well-being. How long a patient wants chiropractic care in their life is always up to them.
Neck/Back Pain
Pain along the spinal column in your neck or back is usually caused by subluxations, or misalignments of your vertebrae. A small misalignment can cause pain by causing pressure on nerves. Left untreated, these subluxations can cause muscle spasms and increasing pain. Chiropractic adjustments properly align your spine so that pressure on joints and nerves is released. It is a direct treatment for the cause of the pain, not a temporary relief like pain relievers or massage. If you are experiencing back or neck pain visit us today.
Headaches
Many people believe that headaches are caused by loud noise, being tired, or being stressed. While these are all factors that can lead to headaches, the direct cause is tightness in the neck and shoulders. The tightness can cause misalignments in the vertebrae of your neck, resulting in pain. 80% of all headaches originate from the neck. 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. Massage of the neck and shoulder muscles can release tension, and a chiropractic adjustment can realign the vertebrae in your neck. Chiropractic can help eliminate the cause of your headaches rather than offering a temporary relief from the symptoms.
Allergies
Chiropractic can help reduce the severity and the frequency of your allergies by allowing your body to be better equipped to fight against allergies. Allergies are a reaction by your immune system to an allergen. Chiropractors align the spine to relieve any stress on nerves and allow the immune system to work at a higher level, making it easier to fight off infections while recognizing allergens. If you suffer from allergies, Dr. Ted can help you find relief.
Disc Problems
Intervertebral discs are positioned between the vertebrae in the spine. The outside of a disc is made from cartilage, and in the center is a jelly like solution. These discs serve many purposes, including allowing movement of the spine, creating space between the vertebrae, and acting as shock absorbers. Trauma to the spine can cause the discs to herniated, bulge, become displaced (slipped disc), or even rupture and these conditions can put pressure on the nerves around the spine and cause pain. By properly aligning the spine, pressure can be relieved on nerves and on the discs themselves and reduce, and hopefully eliminate, your pain and discomfort.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common injury and is caused by the muscles and ligaments overextending, leading to soft tissue damage that causes stiffness and soreness. Whiplash can also cause structural damage such as misaligned vertebrae, herniated, bulging or ruptured discs, or nerve damage due to the overextension from the violent movement. Adjustments and alignments can be performed specifically for those who suffer from whiplash. The pressure on the discs and nerves is released when the spine is returned to its proper alignment. Chiropractic massage can be used to help relieve the pain and discomfort from soft tissue injuries. If you have been in a car accident, schedule an appointment with us before relying on pain medications and surgery.
Osteoarthritis
Arthritis is a condition that is caused by the wearing down of the cartilage between joints. Some of the major joints that are affected are the knees, hips, back, neck, and hands/wrist. Arthritis can be painful and can cause the affected areas to not function properly. Arthritis in one area can cause arthritis or other problems in a different joint. Chiropractic care can alleviate pain by releasing pressure on the nervous system with proper alignment and can restore proper joint movement.
Joint Dysfunction
Joint dysfunction occurs when joints become stiff and full movement is restricted. It can be caused by an injury, poor posture, overuse/underuse of a joint, muscle imbalance, as well as other factors. Like arthritis, joint dysfunction can cause pain in the joint and the surrounding muscles, and can also cause problems in other parts of the body due to overcompensation.
Chiropractic care can properly diagnose this condition and provide relief by using specific adjustments for the affected joint.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition that results when the sciatic nerve becomes irritated. Bulging discs, spinal subluxations, and muscle spasms can all cause increased pressure on the sciatic nerve. When this happens it causes pain, numbness, and weakness in the lower back and leg. To properly treat sciatica the cause of the condition needs to be diagnosed and properly treated.
Pinched Nerve
When a nerve is squeezed or compressed it is called a "pinched nerve". This can be caused by spinal misalignments, bulging or herniated discs, or other factors. The increased pressure on the nerve causes inflammation, pain, and sometimes muscle spasms. The pressure on the nerve must be relieved in order to alleviate the pain. An adjustment by Dr. Ted can relieve the pain by properly aligning the spine and addressing the cause of the pain.
Standing
Posture. Posture. Posture. Make sure that you keep your chin up and don't slouch. If you know that you are going to be standing for a long period of time, make sure that you wear comfortable shoes.
Working at a Desk
Make sure that you are getting up every 20 minutes to stretch. The type of chair you have is extremely important. It should fit you correctly so that your back touches the chair and your feet are on the floor with knees at a 90 degree angle. Try to avoid looking down at your computer screen. It should be at eye level.
Sitting
Make sure you have a chair that is supportive. When you are forced to sit for a long period of time, for instance at a desk job, make sure to get up and stretch every 20 minutes. Sit with your back against the chair, feet firmly on the floor. Do not cross your legs.
Lifting
Lifting objects is one of the most common ways to injure yourself. Even if it is a light object, twisting or pulling in the wrong direction when you're not stretched out can have a damaging effect on muscles and the spine. You always want to bend at the knees and avoid lifting anything you know is too heavy.
Overall Physical Activity
If you know that you are going to be working or playing for a while, make sure that you are adequately stretched out and warmed up. Even if it's something light like gardening or just pushing your child on a bike, it's easy to pull something if you're not warmed up.
Talking On The Telephone
If you're forced to use the telephone for a long period of time, a speaker or a headset is a must. By all means try to avoid cradling the phone between your neck and your shoulder as this could cause you to damage the muscles or vertebrae in that area.
Resting or Sleeping
Straining your neck or back while you're sleeping is a very common occurrence. We often fall asleep in strange positions where we are not supported properly or our necks are at an odd angle. Make sure that if you are going to nap or watch tv in bed, that you are in a supportive position.
Is chiropractic effective?
Chiropractic care helps to remove postural imbalances and structural misalignments that can accumulate in our bodies over time. For your body to remain healthy, your nervous system must function well. For your nervous system to function well it must be free of interference. By restoring spinal function with Chiropractic adjustments, nerve interference by misaligned vertebrae is removed, thus allowing optimal nervous system function and improved health.
Why should I see a Chiropractor?
Seeing a chiropractor is not only for back pain and neck pain. Chiropractic care is an excellent way to keep your body at its peak performance through nutrition, adjustment and overall wellness. In addition, chiropractic care has been known to help a wide range of conditions from fibromyalgia to diabetes.
How does chiropractic care work?
Chiropractic is an overall way of looking at the human body. It's based on the idea that the body is self-sustaining and self-healing. The body is in essence completely controlled by the brain through its connection via the spinal cord and the vast networks of nerves that make up the body. When this system is not functioning at its peak, the overall performance of the human body is lacking.
A chiropractor treats back and neck pain as well as soft and hard tissue problems along with allergies, insomnia, headaches and many more.
What is a chiropractic adjustment? Is it safe?
Adjustments, or manipulation as they're sometimes referred to is the minor movement of vertebrae in the spine. The objective of this movement is to realign vertebrae that have moved out of place for a number of reasons ranging from normal daily activity to trauma such as a car accident.
When these vertebrae are out of place, it has an overall systemic effect from muscular to the central nervous system. Without proper alignment and flow of all nerves and systems in the body from the brain, we can't function at our peak. An adjustment is often a pressure from the chiropractor utilizing the hands or an instrument to move a vertebrae back into place. This happens with a quick movement and is often without discomfort.
What results can I expect from treatment?
Chiropractic is based on the idea of removing imbalances both structural and postural in an effort to allow our body to heal itself. For this to happen the network of nerves and signals from your brain, down your spinal cord, to the network of nerves must be allowed to flow freely without any interruption. Chiropractors have the ability and skill to remove these interruptions or misalignments and allow the body to perform as it was meant to.
Why would I use custom orthotics?
There are two reasons to wear them. The first is correction custom orthotics can be used to correct physical problems in the body caused by imbalances in the feet. The second is prevention. Many people wear them in order to prevent health problems and to improve performance in the body and with athletic activities. Others find that custom orthotics allow them to perform their "weekend warrior" athletic activities and exercise with less pain, stiffness, and soreness.
Who can benefit from custom made foot orthotics?
Anyone can benefit from wearing custom made orthotics. There are many different styles of orthotics to meet a variety of needs. Some are more rigid for increased control of your feet while others are soft and flexible for comfort. Some are made for sports activities to reduce high impact stress in the feet, knees, and spine. In the clinic we can help determine what style is best suited for your individual needs.