Conditions
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common arthritic disease. In addition to man, nearly all vertebrates suffer from osteoarthritis, including porpoises and whales, which discount the theory that the disease is caused by walking upright. Osteoarthritis occurs in the joints of the body when cartilage is damaged or lost and bones begin to undergo abnormal changes.
oints are designed to provide flexibility, support, stability and protection. These functions, essential for normal or painless movement, are primarily completed by cartilage, a slippery tissue that coats the ends of the bones, and the synovium, a membrane that surrounds the entire joint. The synovium is filled with lubricating fluid or synovial fluid, which supplies nutrients and oxygen to cartilage. The cartilage itself is composed of water and collagen, which forms a mesh that gives support and flexibility to the joint. This combination of the collagen meshwork and the high water content creates a resilient and slippery pad in the joint, which resists compression between bones during muscle movement.
When the cartilage in a joint deteriorates, osteoarthritis develops. In the early stages of the disease the surface of the cartilage becomes swollen and there is a loss of other tissue parts. Fissures and pits appear in the cartilage and as the disease progresses and more tissue is lost, the cartilage loses elasticity and becomes increasingly prone to damage due to repetitive use and injury. Eventually, large amounts of cartilage are destroyed, leaving the ends of the bone within the joint unprotected.
Unlike some other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis concentrates in one or more joints where deterioration occurs. Osteoarthritis affects joints differently depending on their location in the body. While osteoarthritis is commonly found in the joints of the fingers, feet, knees, hips and spine, it is rarely found in joints of the wrist, elbows, shoulders, and jaw.
Osteoarthritis is associated with back pain because it can affect the cartilage in the discs that form cushions between the bones of the spine; the moving joints of the spine itself, or both. In any case, patients can experience pain, muscle spasms, and diminished mobility. In addition, the nerves may become rubbed or pinched, causing tingling or burning. In advanced cases, numbness and muscle weakness occurs. Osteoarthritis of the spine is most troublesome when it occurs in the lower back where it can affect the hips, legs and feet, or in the neck, where it can cause difficulty in swallowing or a reduced ability to turn the head.
If you think you may have osteoarthritis or have been diagnosed by another professional as having the condition, see your Doctor of Chiropractic for a complete evaluation and diagnostic workup to determine the best sources of treatment and correction that will serve the specifics of your individual needs.
With early detection appropriate chiropractic care has been shown to slow or stop the early stages of this process.
OSTEOARTHRITIS MANAGEMENT
Weight Loss
Overweight osteoarthritis patients can help lessen the shock on their joints by losing weight. Knees, for example, sustain an impact three to five times the body weight when descending stairs. Consequently, a loss of only five pounds can eliminate at least 15 pounds of stressful impact on the joint. The greater the weight loss, the greater the benefit.
Exercise
Joints require motion to stay healthy. Long periods of inactivity cause joints to stiffen and the adjoining tissue to atrophy. Exercise helps to reduce pain and stiffness, and increases flexibility, muscle strength, endurance, and a sense of well-being. Patients should avoid high-impact sports such as jogging, tennis and racquetball. Strengthening exercises include isometric exercises (pushing or pulling against static resistance) and stretching exercises to build strength and flexibility without unduly stressing the joint. Cycling and walking are beneficial and swimming or exercising in water is highly recommended.
oints are designed to provide flexibility, support, stability and protection. These functions, essential for normal or painless movement, are primarily completed by cartilage, a slippery tissue that coats the ends of the bones, and the synovium, a membrane that surrounds the entire joint. The synovium is filled with lubricating fluid or synovial fluid, which supplies nutrients and oxygen to cartilage. The cartilage itself is composed of water and collagen, which forms a mesh that gives support and flexibility to the joint. This combination of the collagen meshwork and the high water content creates a resilient and slippery pad in the joint, which resists compression between bones during muscle movement.
When the cartilage in a joint deteriorates, osteoarthritis develops. In the early stages of the disease the surface of the cartilage becomes swollen and there is a loss of other tissue parts. Fissures and pits appear in the cartilage and as the disease progresses and more tissue is lost, the cartilage loses elasticity and becomes increasingly prone to damage due to repetitive use and injury. Eventually, large amounts of cartilage are destroyed, leaving the ends of the bone within the joint unprotected.
Unlike some other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis concentrates in one or more joints where deterioration occurs. Osteoarthritis affects joints differently depending on their location in the body. While osteoarthritis is commonly found in the joints of the fingers, feet, knees, hips and spine, it is rarely found in joints of the wrist, elbows, shoulders, and jaw.
Osteoarthritis is associated with back pain because it can affect the cartilage in the discs that form cushions between the bones of the spine; the moving joints of the spine itself, or both. In any case, patients can experience pain, muscle spasms, and diminished mobility. In addition, the nerves may become rubbed or pinched, causing tingling or burning. In advanced cases, numbness and muscle weakness occurs. Osteoarthritis of the spine is most troublesome when it occurs in the lower back where it can affect the hips, legs and feet, or in the neck, where it can cause difficulty in swallowing or a reduced ability to turn the head.
If you think you may have osteoarthritis or have been diagnosed by another professional as having the condition, see your Doctor of Chiropractic for a complete evaluation and diagnostic workup to determine the best sources of treatment and correction that will serve the specifics of your individual needs.
With early detection appropriate chiropractic care has been shown to slow or stop the early stages of this process.
OSTEOARTHRITIS MANAGEMENT
Weight Loss
Overweight osteoarthritis patients can help lessen the shock on their joints by losing weight. Knees, for example, sustain an impact three to five times the body weight when descending stairs. Consequently, a loss of only five pounds can eliminate at least 15 pounds of stressful impact on the joint. The greater the weight loss, the greater the benefit.
Exercise
Joints require motion to stay healthy. Long periods of inactivity cause joints to stiffen and the adjoining tissue to atrophy. Exercise helps to reduce pain and stiffness, and increases flexibility, muscle strength, endurance, and a sense of well-being. Patients should avoid high-impact sports such as jogging, tennis and racquetball. Strengthening exercises include isometric exercises (pushing or pulling against static resistance) and stretching exercises to build strength and flexibility without unduly stressing the joint. Cycling and walking are beneficial and swimming or exercising in water is highly recommended.
Occupational Changes
Once osteoarthritis has been diagnosed, patients should reduce the shock to the affected joints. Continually working deteriorating cartilage is likely to speed up degeneration. People in occupations requiring repetitive and stressful movements should explore ways to reduce trauma. Adjusting the work or substituting tasks that produce less stress on joints help reduce shock.
Treatment
The most common approach to treating arthritis in extremities has been a heating pad, soaking in a hot tub or dropping a hand or fingers into a hot paraffin or wax solution. The chiropractic approach to osteoarthritis following a detailed history and examination, is to utilize specific chiropractic adjustments designed to improve the motion and flexibility of the joints. This increased motion can improve the function of the joint and its surrounding soft tissues while decreasing the symptoms of stiffness, grinding noises and pain most commonly associated with the disease.
Carpal Tunnel
The major nerve controlling the thumb, index, and parts of the middle, and ring finger is called the median nerve. From the tip of your fingers, it travels through the bones in your wrist, past your elbow, up your arm, through your shoulder and neck, and finally to your spinal cord. Problems can develop in one or more of these areas.
The carpal “tunnel” is formed by bones in the wrist. The median nerve, tendons, and blood vessels pass through this opening. If one or more of the bones forming this tunnel should “collapse”, inflammation, nerve pressure, and painful symptoms can result.
The median nerve connects to the spinal cord through openings between several bones in the lower neck. When these spinal bones lose their normal motion or position, they can cause problems in the fingers and wrist.
After a thorough examination, our doctor will perform specific adjustments where needed, to help normalize structure and reduce nerve irritation. When given time, conservative, chiropractic care has produced excellent results with carpal tunnel problems—without drugs or surgery.
Every day, assembly line workers, keyboard operators, grocery store clerks, and many others, receive micro-traumas to their hands and wrists. Vibration and repetitive motions, when combined with spinal problems and other joint dysfunction, can result in a condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Symptoms may include pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or a loss of strength in the hands.
If placing your hands back to back produces an increase in numbness, tingling or pain, you could have a carpal tunnel problem. Have someone try to pull your thumb and finger apart. If your fingers seem weak, it could be related to a carpal tunnel problem.
Specific tests will be performed to see if spinal nerves are involved. Specific chiropractic adjustments can help return malfunctioning joints to a more normal motion and position.
Chiropractors are experts in the care of the bones, nerves, muscles and connective tissues that make up about 60% of your body. All of the joints in your body are part of this musculo-skeletal system and its optimal function is necessary for overall good health. Ask our Doctor of Chiropractor for more information about a care program that may include specific spinal adjustments,exercise recommendations, nutritional advice or other conservative methods of care based on your health history, age, current condition and lifestyle.
Degeneration
Subluxation degeneration is how the body responds to improperly functioning spinal joints. With early detection, appropriate chiropractic care has been shown to slow, stop, or even reverses the early stages of this process. Ask your doctor to design a program of preventive care for you.
Like the mineral deposits in a cave, if given enough time adjacent spinal bones can fuse together.
Phase One Cervical Spine
Loss of normal curves and nervous system dysfunction result from uncorrected spinal trauma.
Phase Two Cervical Spine
Bone spurs and abnormal bony growths distort the shape and function of the vertebrae.
Phase Three Cervical Spine
After years of neglect, the improperly functioning spinal joints often fuse together.
Motion is the key to joint flexibility. Regular chiropractic care promotes proper joint function and mobility.
Usually seen as the misalignment and malfunction of the spine. Normal spinal motion, curves, and disc spacing are altered. Because the body is so adaptable, this early phase can exist without the warning of pain or other symptoms. If left uncorrected, the degeneration continues.
Recognized on X-ray views of the spine by visible bone spurs and rough edges of the vertebrae. Soft tissues, such as discs and ligaments degenerate from the lack of normal joint movement. Again, pain or other symptoms may not be present.
A lifetime of neglect may cause the eventual fusion of the malfunctioning joints. Atrophy, permanent nerve damage, and soft tissue degeneration are prevalent. Reduced mobility and impaired nervous system function can diminish one’s quality of life.
Regardless of age, when spinal damage goes uncorrected, the body deposits calcium on the surface of adjacent bones that isn’t moving properly. If neglected long enough, this splinting effect can result in complete fusion. This worsening process is called Subluxation Degeneration and can occur throughout the spine. Researchers recognize several phases of spinal decay.
Disc Problems
Since spinal discs have a very poor blood supply, they also depend upon the circulation of joint fluids to bring in nutrients and expel waste. If a spinal joint loses its normal motion and this pumping action is impaired, 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, often interfering with their function.
The chiropractic approach to disc problems is to help restore better motion and position to the spinal joints. Besides reducing disc bulging, better spinal function helps decrease inflammation so the slow process of healing the surrounding soft tissues can begin.
While results cannot be guaranteed, many patients have avoided needless surgery or a dependency on pain pills by choosing conservative chiropractic care.
The traditional approach to disc problems often ignores spinal function. Conservative chiropractic care is safer and often more effective than back surgery.
Because they are attached to vertebrae, discs do not slip, but they do tear, bulge, herniate, prolapse and dessicate.
DISC TEAR
The most common disc injury is a small crack or microtear in the tough, outer cartilage material of the disc called annular fibers. This allows the fluid to start leaking out, and the disc begins to wear thin.
BULGING DISC
The soft jelly-like material in the middle of the disc pushes to one side, forward or backward, and swelling occurs. The nucleus is still contained within the tough outer fibers of the disc, but can still cause pressure and painful symptoms.
HERNIATED DISC
The soft jelly-like material from the nucleus in the middle of the disc ruptures through the tough, outer fibers and extends to the outer edge or beyond the normal limits of the disc.
PROLAPSED DISC
A piece of disc material separates away and becomes a fragment or a free-floating piece.
DESSICATED DISC
The disc loses its fluid content and degenerates down to a rough, worn-down or worn-out appearance. This occurs as the bones begin to fuse to each other.
While the intervertebral disc is a common culprit in spine-related health problems, its function is widely misunderstood. The disc is a small cartilage pad that is situated between spinal bones. The soft jelly-like center is contained by layers of fibrous tissues. Each disc serves as a connector, spacer, and shock absorber for the spine. When healthy, discs allow normal turning and bending. Discs can bulge, herniate or rupture, resulting in other problems.
Extremities
When joint function is impaired, there is reduced range of motion, inflammation, calcium buildup, and scar tissue.
This can be caused from repetitive motions, improper sitting, overexertion, slips, falls, accidents, and other causes. Awareness of these types of problems has become more common with terms like “tennis elbow”, “runner’s knee”, “frozen shoulder”, and “carpal tunnel syndrome.”
The impaired function of the elbow and other extremity joints of the body can often be helped with proper joint mobilization.
The traditional treatment of these problems can involve splinting the joint to reduce movement, pain medications, muscle relaxers, steroid injections, and even surgery.
What else can be done?
Today, a more common sense approach is being taken. Joint mobilization, like chiropractic care for the spine, is being used in the care of elbows, wrists, and other joints of the body. Helping to restore normal range of motion to joints that have become “locked-up”, “jammed”, or injured, seems to improve blood circulation, reduce scar tissue, and speed the healing process.
Our Doctors of Chiropractic are uniquely trained to detect and help restore proper joint function of the spine and the extremities. Find out if you can be helped, by arranging for aconsultation and thorough examination today!
Joint damage from repetitive motion can often be helped with chiropractic care, avoiding braces, drugs, or surgery.
The active lifestyle most retiree’s look forward to depends upon proper mobility of the spine and extremities.
Joints of the body can lose their normal motion and position leading to symptoms of pain, swelling and loss of function. Many people are surprised to learn that joint pain in the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, ankle, or knee can often be helped by chiropractic care.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and multiple tender points. These “tender points” refer to sensitivity that occurs in precise localized areas, particularly in the neck, spine, shoulders and hips. People with this syndrome may also experience sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and other symptoms.
Tender/trigger points are specific sites on the body that cause pain when pressed. There are 9 pairs of tender points. Each pair has one point on each side of the body for a total of 18 points. The pain may spread when a tender point is pressed and trigger pain in a larger area.
The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics provides evidence that chiropractic care may offer some relief for those who suffer from fibromyalgia.
According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia affects 3 to 6 million Americans. It primarily occurs in women of childbearing age, though men, children, and the elderly may also be affected. Currently, the exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown and because many of the symptoms mimic those of other diseases, it is very difficult to diagnose.
The current criteria for a fibromyalgia diagnosis includes:
- Widespread joint and muscle pain that has been present for at least three months.
- Pain at 11 or more of the 18 specific tender/trigger points when the areas are pressed.
Other symptoms that are less common but can occur are constipation or diarrhea, headache, difficulty concentrating, tingling sensation in the hands and severe or excessive fatigue.
Fibromyalgia sufferers reported less joint pain after being placed on raw-food vegan diets consisting of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, nuts and seeds.
Though the cause and cure for fibromyalgia is not yet known, studies suggest that chiropractic care can help provide relief.
A recent study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics stated that more than 60% of the participants who underwent thirty chiropractic treatments showed significant reductions in pain intensity and improvement in their overall fatigue and quality of sleep.
Our chiropractors will take a comprehensive approach in evaluating and designing a specific care plan for those who suffer from fibromyalgia. Nutrition, exercise and regular chiropractic adjustments have all shown to play a role in reducing pain and other symptoms, while improving whole body health.
Headaches
There are many types of headaches.
A frequent and overlooked cause of headaches is the malfunction of spinal bones in the neck and upper back.
When bones of the spine lose their normal position or motion, sensitive nerves and blood vessels to the head can be affected. When spinal nerves and related tissues are stretched or irritated, they can produce throbbing headaches. Aspirin and medications may cover up these warning signs, but do not correct the underlying structural cause.
Some estimates suggest 25% of the population has a headache right now! A comprehensive U.S. study reported that 10 million Americans suffer from moderate to severe disability from various forms of headaches.
Many people experience correction and relief through chiropractic care.
If a thorough examination reveals reduced range of motion, loss of normal spinal curves, or mechanical restrictions, chiropractic care should be considered. After a complete explanation, you’ll receive a care program designed for your unique spinal problem.
Specific chiropractic adjustments can help correct spinal joint dysfunction created by the various chemical, emotional and physical stresses in our lives.
Many patients report headache relief. Others find that the correction of their condition takes longer because their spinal problem has existed undetected for many years. Every patient responds differently. Benefit from the drug-free results millions have enjoyed by consulting a chiropractic doctor.
Specific chiropractic adjustments can help correct mechanical restrictions in the cervical spine that may be related to headache symptoms.
Drugs can cover up symptoms. Because headaches are so common, some people think that getting a headache is just a normal part of life!
Headaches are a sign that something’s wrong. Stress, toxic fumes, certain foods, preservatives, and alcohol are common culprits. Like a fever, some headaches are related to an underlying problem.
Chiropractors are experts in the care of the bones, nerves, muscles and connective tissues that make up about 60% of your body. All of the joints in your body are part of this musculo-skeletal system and its optimal function is necessary for overall good health. Ask our Doctor of Chiropractor for more information about a care program that may include specific spinal adjustments,exercise recommendations, nutritional advice or other conservative methods of care based on your health history, age, current condition and lifestyle.
Joint Pain/ Bursitis/ Tendonitis
BURSITIS
Whether you’re at work or at play, if you overuse or repetitively stress the areas around your body’s joints, you may eventually develop a painful inflammation called bursitis.
You have more than 150 bursae in your body. These small, fluid-filled sacs lubricate and cushion pressure points between your bones and the tendons and muscles near your joints. They help your joints move with ease. Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. When inflammation occurs, movement or pressure is painful.
Bursitis often affects the areas around the joints in your shoulders, elbows or hips. But you can also have bursitis by your knee, heel and even in the base of your big toe. Bursitis pain usually goes away within a week or so with proper treatment, but recurrent flare-ups of bursitis are common and can be frustrating.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- A dull ache or stiffness in the area of your elbow, hip, knee, shoulder, big toe or other joints
- A worsening of pain with movement or pressure
- An area that feels swollen or warm to the touch
- Occasional skin redness in the area of the inflamed bursa
Bursitis of the hip doesn’t cause any visible swelling or skin redness because the bursae are located beneath some of your body’s bulkiest muscles. In this type of bursitis, pain is primarily over the greater trochanter, a portion of your thighbone (femur) that juts out just below where the bone joins the hip.
CAUSES
Common causes of bursitis are overuse, stress or direct trauma to a joint, such as with repeated bumping or prolonged pressure from kneeling. Bursitis may also result from an infection, arthritis or gout. Many times, the cause is unknown.
Other forms of bursitis are caused by repetitive motion related to certain activities:
- Shoulder. Bursitis of the shoulder often results from injury to the rotator cuff, the muscles and tendons that connect your upper arm bone to your shoulder blade. Causes of the injury may include poor posture, falling, lifting and repetitive overhead arm activities. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the pain caused by bursitis and that caused by a rotator cuff injury.
- Elbow. This type is associated with actions requiring you to repeatedly bend and extend your elbow. You may get such an inflammation by pushing a vacuum cleaner back and forth. Throwing a baseball and swinging a tennis racket or a golf club are other examples of repeated physical activities that may lead to bursitis or tendinitis of the elbow or shoulder. Simple repeated leaning on your elbows could lead to bursitis over the tip of your elbow.
- Buttocks. This type of bursitis describes an inflamed bursa over the bone in your buttocks. It may result from sitting on a hard surface for long periods, such as on a bike.
- Hip. Bursitis of the hip is frequently associated with arthritis or a hip injury. The pressure from standing or sitting for a prolonged time also may lead to bursitis of the hip.
- Knee. In this form of bursitis, a soft, egg-shaped bump occurs on the front of your knee, the result of repetitive kneeling while installing tiles, scrubbing a floor, gardening or doing other activities that place pressure on your knees. A sharp blow to the knee can cause inflammation of the bursae around the kneecap. People with arthritis who are overweight often develop bursitis of the knee.
- Ankle. Inflammation of the bursa in the ankle commonly occurs as a result of improper footwear or prolonged walking or in sports, such as ice-skating.
You may not be able to pinpoint a specific incident or activity that led to your bursitis. In fact, in some cases the inflammation may stem from a staphylococcal infection or, rarely, tuberculosis.
RISK FACTORS
If you work in a profession or have a hobby that requires repetitive motion, you’re at an increased risk of developing bursitis. The occurrence of bursitis also increases with age. In addition, certain diseases and conditions increase your risk of developing bursitis, such as:
- Arthritis
- Gout
- Staphylococcal infection
- Tuberculosis, although rare
TENDONITIS
Tendonitis is the inflammation of a tendon, a tough rope-like tissue that connects muscle to bone. Tendonitis usually occurs in individuals in middle or old age because it is often the result of overuse over a long period of time. Tendonitis does occur in younger patients as a result of acute overuse.
Tendons that commonly become inflamed include:
- Tendons of the hand
- Tendons of the upper arm that effect the shoulder
- Achilles tendon and the tendon that runs across the top of the foot
- Causes and symptoms
Sudden stretching or repeated overuse injures the connection between the tendon and its bone or muscle. The injury is largely mechanical, but when it appears, the body tries to heal it by initiating inflammation. Inflammation increases the blood supply, bringing nutrients to the damaged tissues along with immunogenic agents to combat infection. The result is swelling, tenderness, pain, heat, and redness if the inflammation is close to the skin. Some tendon injuries are superficial and easy to identify. These include «tennis elbow» (extensor tendinitis) over the outside of the elbow, and Achilles’ tendinitis just above the heel of the foot. There are several tendons in the shoulder that can be overused or stretched, and usually a shoulder will have more than one injury at a time. Tendinitis in the biceps, the infraspinatus, or the supraspinatus tendon may accompany a tear of the shoulder ligaments or an impingement of one bone on another. Careful pressure testing and movement of the parts is all that is necessary to identify the tendinitis.
Lower Back Problems
Many research projects show conservative chiropractic care is safer and often more effective than back surgery.
The chiropractic approach is to help restore a more normal motion and position of affected spinal bones with specific chiropractic adjustments. The simplicity and success of this approach has been documented in numerous research projects and has helped many patients avoid risky surgery.
Chiropractic doctors often consult with neurologists, radiologists, and orthopedic specialists when designing care programs for patients with disc involvement.
Surgical treatment often involves removing these facet joints, exposing the spinal cord. Another cause of lower back pain can be a bulging disc putting pressure on the spinal cord or a nearby nerve root. The result is often numbness, tingling, or pain down the leg. Cutting away the bulging disc tissue can permanently alter its ability to separate and cushion the adjacent bones. This rarely addresses the underlying structural cause(s) of the problem.
Many of the pain-sensing nerves of the spine are in the facet joints, the two interlocking “fingers” at the back of each spinal bone. The normally smooth surfaces on which these joints glide, can become rough, irritated, and inflamed.
Neck Pain
A popular response to neck pain is taking drugs to cover up the problem (aspirin, analgesics, pain pills) or treating its symptoms (muscle relaxers, massage, hot packs).
But neck pain isn’t caused by a lack of aspirin or drugs!
The chiropractic approach to neck pain is to locate its underlying cause. This begins with a complete case history and thorough examination. Special attention is given to the structure and function of the spine, and its affect on the nervous system.
Is the proper spinal curve present? Are the nerve openings between each pair of spinal bones free and clear? Is the head balanced? Are the shoulders level? These and other considerations are used to create a plan of specific chiropractic adjustments to help improve the motion and position of spinal vertebrae.
With improved structure and function, neck pain often diminishes or totally disappears—without addictive drugs or harmful side effects!
One study, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that patients who received chiropractic care reported significant improvement in their neck function and a reduction in their neck pain wheras those taking pain-killers did not.
Is it hard to look over your shoulder? Is there a constant pulling or throbbing pain in your neck? Do you notice a “grinding” sound as you turn your head? Contactour office for a thorough history and examination.
How Can We Help
Pain in your body is a warning signal that something is wrong and needs attention. Just as you would not turn off the smoke alarm in your home without investigating the fire, you should examine the source or cause of the pain signals which your body sends to you as warning signs that something is wrong and needs help. The anatomy of your spine, hip and leg is complicated in nature. There are millions of nerve and muscle fibers in the area, giving strength and stability to the body. In addition there are major blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and vital internal organs.
The nervous system is your master control system. It is made up of the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves. It controls and coordinates all other organs and systems. It stands to reason that the healthy expression of life depends upon properly functioning nervous system.
The nervous system is protected within a protective bony armor. The brain is protected by the skull. It extends directly into the spinal cord which is protected by 24 moving bones called the «vertebrae».
The spine must be properly aligned so that the nerves can be protected. This allows optimum communication (nerve impulse transmission) to exist between the brain and the rest of the body. This correct alignment of the spine results in the highest state of health.
Regular, periodic visits to all health care providers (dentists, optometrists, medical, acupuncture and chiropractic doctors) make good sense in health care. It is very true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so even after you begin to see signs of improvement continue to follow your doctor’s recommendations to assure complete care and lasting wellness.
Improve your back’s health by using good posture, staying active, eating right, and taking time to relax. Talk with your our wellness consultant about exercises for strengthening your back. When lifting, bend your knees and keep your back straight. Hold the load against your body. Lift up with your leg muscles rather than back muscles. Whatever you do, don’t twist to the side when lifting!
Contact Information
Feel free to contact us for any business or personal inquiries.
CLINIC
5610 Nolensville Pk, Nashville, TN 37211, United States
PHONE
+16153319777