Conditions for chiropractic care
Accidental And Personal Injuries
In an auto accident, “whiplash” is a term that often comes up. However, that only describes a mechanism of the injury and not the condition which usually includes neck and back pain, headache, pain in the extremities, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, etc. Although most frequently associated with a motor vehicle accidents, there are other ways of suffering a whiplash without a motor vehicle. Even then, more than half of all whiplash diagnoses occurred when there was little to no damage to the car. So it doesn’t take much.
We also take care of slip and fall injuries. If the injury is not your fault, you might even be able to receive your chiropractic care for free. Simply come in for the free consultation and exam and we’ll make recommendations on how to proceed.
Arthritis / Degenerative Disc / Joint Pain
You’ve been to your family doctor complaining of back or neck pain. After x-rays, you find out that you have a degenerative disc and joint disease of the spine. Then they hand you a prescription that only takes care of the pain, not the problem.
If this sounds familiar, It doesn’t have to be this way. If the joint is not moving the soft tissues of the joint swell and that causes irritation of nerve fibers and pain.
If a joint doesn’t move, nature is taking it away from you. The taking away of a joint is arthritis. This is what happens when a joint doesn’t function properly. And when there is pain, you use the joint even less. This is the cycle of degeneration.
We treat many people with this condition and get good results if the patient has patience with themselves and doesn’t expect their body to respond in days what took years to create.
The key is to first restore as much motion as possible to the joints of the spine, the knee, ankle, wrist, shoulder, etc. Then we need to add the nutritional substances your body needs to rebuild and restore cartilage. At Hall Chiropractic we have what I believe is the world’s best nutritional supplement for supporting the joints of the body. It’s even something I take.
At Hall Chiropractic we treat this syndrome in a variety of ways, but always with the age and condition of the patient in mind.
Back and Neck Pain
Trauma can damage the soft tissues in the neck and back which have many nerves. All of these are connected to muscles, ligaments, discs and joints. Over time, the normal shape of the cervical and lumbar spine can be altered from accidents or muscle spasms caused by chronic mental stress. Also, physical activities and positions that cause the body to improperly “hang” on the spine for a prolonged period of time can be a frequent cause of neck and back pain.
Research has proven the cost effectiveness of neck pain by chiropractic care versus traditional physical therapy and traditional medical care. People treated with chiropractic heal faster and at a lower cost.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The wrist has eight bones called the carpal bones. Through the wrist run nine muscle tendons, three nerves and many arteries and veins. This is all held in place by a ligamentous band called the retinaculum.
Repetitive motions such as computer work, sports, assembly or tool work, etc can cause inflammation of the retinaculum causing pain, tingling, numbness and a weakness in the hand. This is a condition known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The condition responds well to extremity adjusting techniques, cold laser therapy, ultrasound and interferential.
Herniated Discs
AKA: slipped disc, disc bulge, disc protrusion, disc rupture, disc prolapse.
These are all scientific terms describing variations of disc tear.
The purpose of the discs in your spine is to help hold the vertebrae together, assist in normal body movement and create sufficient space for spinal nerves.
The disc is made up of a spongy gel-like center, the nucleus and tough outer series of rings, the annulus. These can be damaged through sudden, forceful movements such as a lifting, twisting, accidents, or years of repeated stress. Over time, the annulus fibers weaken sufficiently to cause a “bulge” in the nucleus that irritates nerves. People have often rated this pain just under child birth and kidney stones.
We treat about 30 patients a day for this condition at Hall Chiropractic using non-forceful flexion-distraction technique and our spinal decompression table. These procedures create negative pressure changes that “pump” the disc off the nerve without using a scalpel. The rule of thumb is to always try the most conservative method of treatment first before surgery.
Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
We often review x-rays of spines with metal plates and screws in them from invasive surgeries. Most often these patients often complain about having more pain after these surgeries. We are not against surgery as a last resort. However, it should never be the first choice unless it is a life threatening condition.
Unfortunately one can’t perform spine surgery without cutting tissue. Tissue repairs itself with the formation of scar tissue. Depending upon the patient, some may have more scar tissue than others. This scar tissue can take up more space and cause more nerve compression than the original problem.
Fortunately, in many cases, much can be done with chiropractic to help lessen or remove these symptoms.
Flexion-distraction technique is used at Hall Chiropractic with good effect. This breaks up scar tissue and relieves nerve compression. We also get good results with our spinal decompression table depending on the type of surgery performed. Interferential, ultrasound, cold laser and nutritional supplementation are also of great benefit.
Foot and Ankle Problems
Multiply your weight by three and that is the pounds of force exerted to the foot with each step. No wonder our feet hurt!
26 bones in our foot provide the frame work. Ligaments, muscles and tendons keep the bones stable and control movement. The plantar fascia is a fibrous band on the bottom of the foot that supports the arch. Any one of these structures can be injured in a trauma or by repetitive stresses.
With the ankle or heel, the problem is often with the position of calcaneous (heel bone) and the bone on top called the talus.
We treat a surprisingly large number of patients with foot and ankle pain at Hall Chiropractic, and often get dramatically fast results. Great results are obtained with diversified extremity adjusting technique, activator technique, cold laser, interferential and ultrasound.
Headaches
About 96% of all headaches have their origin in the upper portion of the cervical spine, just beneath the occiput or base of the head. Stress can make these muscles contract. This pulls on connective tissue that attaches to the highly sensitive dura mater, a thin membrane that covers the brain and spinal chord.
Irritated nerves in the dura mater are the cause of the majority of headaches. Muscle spasms of the cervical spine can also affect these nerves directly. Stress makes the tissue contract which clamps down on the nerve. A headache is the result.
Over the counter pain relievers such as aspirin, Ibuprofen and Tylenol do not treat the underlying condition. They only mask the issue.
We treat this condition often with diversified technique, cold laser, and interferential and get excellent results.
Knee Pain
The knee is a hinge joint responsible for flexion and extension between the bones of the knee on 2 pads of cartilage called the meniscus. This prevents the bones from rubbing together. There are four ligaments holding the bones together. The quadriceps and hamstring muscles and their tendons surround the knee and move the leg.
The iliotibial band is a fibrous structure running down the sides of the leg and attach at the knee. Any one of these structures or combination of them can be the cause of knee pain.
Once an orthopedic knee exam has taken place, the proper treatment or referral can be recommended. Non-surgical knee injuries respond to diversified extremity adjusting technique, activator technique, cold laser, interferential and ultrasound.
Myofascial Trigger Points
A trigger point is a hyperirritable spot within a muscle that is painful to pressure and refers pain to another area of the musculoskeletal system. Trigger points are a result of muscle strain (accidents, stress, etc). These become sites of sensitized nerves, increased metabolism and decreased blood circulation.
We treat this condition very successfully using a treatment commonly called “spray and stretch”. This technique was developed by Janet Travell, M.D., a professor of Medicine at George Washington School of Medicine. We also use cold laser and interferential therapy to treat this condition.
Pregnancy
Increasing weight and size of the baby puts incredible stress on the spine’s joints and it’s three shock absorbing curves. This leads to back pain. It may also put pressure on the sciatic nerve leading to pain or numbness in the legs. As pregnancy progresses, hormones cause the ligaments in the pelvis to loosen. This makes it more pliable for delivery. This can cause irritation to the nerves in the lower back.
We have had many referrals from obstetricians who understand that chiropractic care is a natural, drugless way to assist patients through this time. Our treatment protocols are gentle and non forceful. They are also modified as the delivery date approaches.
Many patients state that their post chiropractic delivery was much easier than previously experienced without chiropractic care.
Our pregnant patients respond well to diversified adjusting techniques in the early stages as well as activator techniques when their delivery date approaches. They love the intersegmental traction and hydrotherapy tables in the therapy department.
Sciatica
Sciatica is an inflammation of the sciatic nerve. This is the longest nerve in the body. It runs from the lower back and buttocks, down the leg and into the feet. It is usually caused by one of four things.
- A disc herniation in the lumbar spine
- Swelling of a vertebral joint caused by trauma or lack of normal movement in the joint
- Degenerative joint disease caused by years of abnormal joint function
- Muscle spasms, particularly of the piriformis muscle in the buttocks
This condition is treated at Hall Chiropractic with flexion distraction technique, cold laser, spinal decompression and interferential.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine that affects an estimated 6 million people in the United States. Many do not even know they have this condition. The vast majority of scoliosis develops between the ages of 9 – 14, and females are more likely to suffer from this condition.
Spinal degeneration can cause scoliosis in adults with significant pain symptoms and altered ability to carry out daily activities.
At Hall Chiropractic these patients respond well to the flexion distraction technique and interferential therapy.
Shoulder Pain
The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. It has four main muscles that are responsible for its circular motion, reaching, lifting, pulling and pushing. They come together to form a connective tissue structure called the rotator cuff. Trauma or repetitive stresses make this system susceptible to injury. If left untreated this condition can progress to adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder).
At Hall Chiropractic we treat this condition with diversified extremity adjusting technique, trigger point therapy, cold laser and interferential therapy.
Stress
Life can be rough.
We encounter many physical stresses such as accidents, over activities, under activities (excessive sitting around, computer time, motorized travel).
There are mental stresses such as anger, anxiety, frustration and depression.
There are chemical stresses from the pollution of the air we breath, the water we drink and the food we eat.
There are thermal stresses from extreme weather conditions to our controlled environment transitions.
All these stressors are cumulative.
Researchers have formulated the idea of an imaginary health scale called the HEALTH INDEX SCALE that we are all placed upon at birth. Some of us are healthy at birth and high on the scale, some are not so lucky. Unfortunately, some of us are born ill.
There’s a point on this imaginary scale call the THRESHOLD OF DYSFUNCTION. This is the point on the scale where the body’s defense mechanism becomes overwhelmed. This results in a state of “dis ease”.
Stressors in life can lower our rank on the health index scale, leading us toward dysfunction and illness.
If we help the body to be strong through proper exercise, good nutrition, and proper sleep, we can help keep our bodies functioning as it was designed.
This is where chiropractic comes into play. To us, a chiropractor is a specialist in the motion of the body as it relates to the nerves. It’s all about restoring and maintaining normal function of the joints in the body.
Although we cannot stop the stresses in our life that create physical dysfunction in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, we can be proactive in our care.
Stressors cause muscle tension and spasm. Muscle spasms cause the joints to stop working properly. When a joint stops moving, the soft tissues swell and irritate nerve fibers which cause pain. Pain causes people to stop using their joints even more, causing even more spasms. Nerves become irritated. The irritation travels to the muscles causing them spasm even more. This is the vicious cycle.
Another thing that happens with an inoperable joint is that it starts degenerating. This degeneration is what is called arthritis.
Our job is to find the joints that are not functioning properly through a procedure called Motion Palpation. We put them back in motion using various therapies to insure healing of the surrounding supporting structures.
This is why we have the Hall Chiropractic Stress Relief Program for our patients. This helps them stay well once they get well.
TMJ Problems
The jaw is a hinge joint connecting the mandible (jaw bone) to the skull. It is surrounded by several pairs of muscles in front of the ear on each side of the head. There is a disc that separates the jaw from the skull. When the disc becomes misplaced, it will cause temporal mandibular joint dysfunction, commonly known as TMJ.
The onset of pain may be immediate from a trauma, or gradual from stress. Stress can lead to unconscious jaw clenching, particularly during sleep. This can lead to muscle spasming in the jaw area and prevent proper function.
This condition responds favorably to activator technique, cold laser and ultrasound.