Author Archives: The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor

Categories Meniere's Disease

How Chiropractic for Inner Ear Disorders Works

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

The human ear is a very complex organ. What you see outside is just a small part of it – the outer ear. The inner ear is inside your head, and it contains a series of tiny bones and membranes with two crucial roles: to allow you to hear and to maintain your sense of balance.

When you suffer from inner ear disorders, such as Meniere’s Disease, you have the sensation that the world is spinning around you. In this article, our specialists explain the benefits of choosing chiropractic for inner ear disorders.

What Causes Inner Ear Disorders?

The most common causes of inner ear disorders are various injuries and sudden trauma. People who were involved in a car accident suffered a severe slip and fall, had a heavy object falling down on them are likely to develop this condition.

At a physical level, the issue is caused by even the slightest change in the natural position of each tiny element inside the inner ear. It can be made even worse by misalignments in the spinal vertebrae which prevent the nerves that connect the brain to the ear from working properly.

How Can Chiropractic for Inner Ear Disorders Help Patients?

Chiropractors have a different approach from other healthcare professionals. They do not focus solely on the injured part, but on the person as a whole. In many cases, the root cause of pain in a part of the body is located in a different part – in many cases along the spine.

Why is this so? The spinal cord is the superhighway that allows the brain to control your entire body through nerves. Pain, numbness, the sensation of vertigo may be caused by poor communication between the brain and the respective body part. In turn, this poor communication may be caused by a nerve pinched or otherwise obstructed by spine misalignments.

Thus, the purpose of chiropractic for inner ear disorders is to identify and resolve the spine problems which cause most of the negative symptoms you experience, especially dizziness and vertigo.

The Chiropractor’s Approach in Treating Inner Ear Disorders

Spine manipulations are a very general term for a complex range of precise movements. Each of them aims to correct spinal misalignments, without causing harm or discomfort to the patient. 

In certain situations, chiropractic for inner ear disorders involves specialized equipment, such as the drop table or the traction table. Each of these pieces of equipment allows the chiropractor to work precisely and with maximum safety for the patient.

Inner ear disorders can be healed by chiropractic in two ways:

1. By Allowing Spinal Fluid to Flow Freely

The sense of balance can be compromised when spinal subluxations cause spinal fluid to build up in the inner ear. This causes pressure on the small bones that give you the sense of up, down, right, and left. 

Once the misalignment is resolved, the spinal fluid will drain from the inner ear and the patient will stop feeling dizzy and disoriented. Chiropractic for inner ear disorders is the only non-invasive procedure that solves this specific type of issue.

2. By Restoring Nervous System Communications

When we say that the inner ear creates the sense of balance, we mean that the brain interprets the movement signals and generates the sense of walking ahead, turning right or left. 

Thus, when the nerves cannot transmit the signals from the inner ear to the brain properly, you feel that you are standing in the middle of a fast-spinning carousel. By resolving subluxations of the vertebrae, the chiropractor will allow the nerve to transmit signals without interruptions.

The improved communication within the nervous system will reduce the sensation of vertigo and lack of balance. Patients can return to their usual activities confidently.

If you suffer from any symptoms associated with inner ear disorders, one of our experienced chiropractors is ready to help you. Call us now to schedule your first appointment!

Categories Neck Pain

Chiropractic for Military Neck Syndrome

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

When you read about the military neck syndrome, you probably thought – “ah, I’m not in the army, so I can’t possibly suffer from this issue”. In reality, this is just a term that applies to the condition of having a straight neck – lacking the C-shaped curvature. It can affect anyone and has the potential to create serious health problem. In this article, we will show you why chiropractic for military neck syndrome is the best solution for restoring your body to its proper functioning.

What Exactly Is the Military Neck Syndrome and What Causes It?

The name of the straight neck condition comes from the fact that sufferers look just like soldiers standing at attention. Their head and neck form an unnatural straight line. In reality, the cervical spine (the portion of the spine passing through the neck) should have a C-shape.

This C-shape forms in the womb, allowing babies to keep their head straight and move it from side to side as they grow up. In fact, this is the most mobile part of your spine. You can nod and shake your head and have a wide range of vision by turning your head sideways.

People who suffer from the military neck syndrome will recognize a limitation in the movements of their head. This is probably the first of the many worrying symptoms of the straight neck condition. The reasons for this condition are many:

  • Sudden trauma, such as a car accident or a slip and fall
  • Sports injuries, especially in football, rugby, and contact sports (boxing, martial arts)
  • Poor posture at the desk
  • Sleeping on your stomach.

What Happens If You Do Not Resolve a Straight Neck?

When the neck loses its natural curvature, it puts excess pressure to the rest of the spine. This leads to several complications, such as:

  • Chronic pain
  • Inability to lift loads
  • Degeneration of the discs (the cushions between vertebrae).

In some of the worst cases studied by our chiropractors, patients with untreated military neck syndrome developed a reverse curve in their thoracic spine, putting pressure on the lungs and affecting their breathing.

What Is the Role of Chiropractic for Military Neck Syndrome?

The chiropractor’s role is to encourage a straight neck to re-form its natural curvature. This is a very delicate process, which needs to be performed by a licensed and experienced professional.

One huge warning we want to give anyone who wants to try at-home neck manipulations: do not do it. Any wrong move can lead to severe injury to your neck muscles, ligaments, or even spinal cord. 

Chiropractic for military neck syndrome involves careful manipulations over several weeks or even months, depending on the severity of the cause. The keywords in any chiropractor’s approach are “gentle” and “natural.”

The Chiropractor Will Encourage You to Assume a Correct Posture at All Times

Apart from manipulations, chiropractic for military neck syndrome involves a holistic approach to your habits and lifestyle. The chiropractor will ask about your work, the way you sleep and as needed, will recommend you to:

  • Buy an ergonomic pillow
  • Refrain from sleeping on your stomach
  • Adopt a correct posture at the desk.

Also, the chiropractor will apply massages and teach you to do neck exercises at home to relieve pressure and encourage your neck muscles to relax.

If you suffer from a straight neck, you should seek a safe and effective solution for this condition as soon as possible. Our clinic specializes in chiropractic for military neck syndrome, so call us to set up an appointment!

Categories Women's Health

Benefits of Chiropractic for Menstrual Pain

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Each month, millions of women across the world rely on NSAIDs and other types of painkillers to find relief from menstrual pain. With a wildly varying range, from mild to crippling, the pain associated with women’s menstrual cycle is a major disruptor to everyday life. However, the traditional approach to numbing pain is not a safe option in the long term. The alternative is chiropractic for menstrual pain, non-invasive and safe therapy for all women.

What Is Wrong with Taking Pills for Menstrual Pain?

If you look at the package insert for any kind of medication, you will notice that it carries information on contraindications and side effects. The truth is that no pill is 100% safe and free of risks. 

Aspirin, NSAIDs, and birth control pills – the traditional treatment options for menstrual pain. These can lead to various complications over the years. From digestive problems, ulcers to blood clots, and the risk of heart attack, prolonged use of these pills to relieve menstrual pain is not recommended.

What is the alternative for millions of women enduring severe pains and cramps each month? We recommend chiropractic for menstrual pain. This type of therapy relies on two principles: solving spine misalignments that may contribute to severe menstrual pain and offering alternative pain relief options.

How Spine Misalignments Influence 

Every organ in your body is controlled by your brain through nerves. The sexual organs are no exception. The ovaries and the uterus have nerve connections to the brain, passing through the spine.

What happens when poor posture, an injury, or other issues cause the spinal vertebrae to become misaligned? The nerves that control the sexual organs, thus, the menstrual cycle, can become pinched and unable to pass the messages sent by the brain. This may lead to the severe pain women experience just before or during menstruation.

How Chiropractic for Menstrual Pain Works

How can going to a chiropractor help you reduce this crippling pain? What exactly is the role of chiropractic in finding relief from menstrual cramps?

First of all, chiropractic for menstrual pain will focus on identifying and resolving misalignments in the spine. To do this, the chiropractor will act on the lumbar area (lower part) of the spine, where nerves connected to the sexual organs pass through.

To do so, the chiropractor will apply the drop-table technique. This chiropractic method is gentler than spinal manipulations but just as effective. The vertebrae are encouraged to return to their natural position, freeing nerves from excess pressure.

Alternative Chiropractic Solutions

Your chiropractor can help you find relief from menstrual pain in other effective ways. Chiropractic massage is one of the best options for cramps caused by muscle tension and stress. This massage technique is highly specialized because the chiropractor will focus on specific deep tissues in your body. Which improves blood flow and encouraging muscles to relax.

Also, chiropractors can refer patients to acupuncture specialists. An ancient technique developed in China thousands of years ago, acupuncture is a minimally invasive and effective method of nerve stimulation. Millions of people rely on acupuncture to find relief from pain and other conditions caused by the improper functioning of nerves.

Choose Safe Management

Even if you do not believe in the effectiveness of chiropractic for menstrual pain, you should give it a try. The alternative is continuing to take pills which, in time, will damage your digestive system or even lead to life-threatening conditions, such as blood clots.

We encourage you to get in touch with the chiropractors at our clinic and book an evaluation appointment. You will get all the answers you need about chiropractic for menstrual pain and a personalized therapy plan to manage your condition. Call us now!

Categories Digestive Disorders

Can a Chiropractor Help Improve Gut Health?

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Do you feel bloated after each meal? Do you feel that it takes a really long time until you feel your stomach light and empty? Unfortunately, you are one of the very many people suffering from gut problems. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, up to 70 million people suffer from digestive problems. This is partly due to the modern lifestyle, leaving people little time to eat healthy food at leisure. The good news is that you can improve digestive health by seeing a chiropractor.

What Is the Connection between Chiropractic and Gut Health?

The average person knows what chiropractors do. They apply various manipulations to straighten misaligned joints and resolve subluxations of the spine. However, you may wonder: what has my spine got to do with my digestive problems?

The answer is a lot. Your entire body works properly under the command of a single organ: the brain. And the brain uses the nervous system to send signals to each organ and system so that it performs its job properly.

Whenever a signal cannot reach an organ, the person experiences a type of discomfort or a negative symptom. As it happens, the nerves that control your digestive system are located in the middle of your spine. Thus, your gut problem can likely be caused by a subluxation of the spine.

This is why you should see a chiropractor if you want to improve digestive health.

How Spine Subluxation Affects Digestive Health

Now, let us see exactly what happens when two vertebrae in your spine become misaligned. This issue is usually caused by sudden trauma (car crash, slip, and fall, sports injury) or by intense wear and tear if you are doing physical work (such as lifting weights). 

When the vertebrae are no longer perfectly aligned, a nerve can get pinched between them. Alternatively, the disc between the vertebrae bulges out and puts pressure on the nerve. The result is that the signals from the brain no longer pass freely through the nerve to your stomach and gut.

Ways in Which Chiropractic Can Improve Digestive Health

The chiropractor will start by giving you a full physical examination. You will also be asked to detail your medical history, including:

Preexisting conditions

Surgeries

Medication you are taking

Medical history of your family.

The chiropractor will identify the cause of your gut health problems and create a personalized treatment plan, involving:

1. Adjustments to Resolve Spine Misalignments

One of the most frequent techniques to improve digestive health is using a series of manipulations that will encourage the vertebrae to return to their natural position. The chiropractor can identify the precise area where the spine is misaligned and correct this problem.

2. Correct Your Posture

Poor digestion and bloating can also be caused by poor posture. When you are not sitting, standing, and walking in a natural position, your muscles are tense, and your ribcage may actually put pressure on your stomach.  Chiropractic treatment will aim to teach you how to maintain a correct posture through exercises meant to strengthen your back muscles.

3. Resolve Hiatal Hernia

Chiropractic manipulations are useful in treating hiatal hernia – a condition in which the stomach pushes upward through the diaphragm. In this case, the chiropractor’s adjustments will encourage your stomach to return to its natural position in the pelvic cavity.

4. Encourage You to Change Your Lifestyle

Finally, a chiropractor can help improve digestive health by showing you how to eat nutritious food, exercise, and give up unhealthy habits. Every choice you make has an impact on your entire body. And in time, these choices can cause you various health issues, from mental health problems (depression, fatigue) to gut problems and heart conditions.

When you decide to improve your digestive health, you will also improve your overall quality of life. We encourage you to call our clinic and book an appointment with one of our experienced chiropractors!

Categories Chronic Fatigue

Discover the Benefits of Chiropractic for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Do you feel permanently exhausted, even after a full night’s sleep? find it hard to focus on tasks at work? suffer from headaches frequently? Then you probably suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. At our chiropractic practice, we have extensive experience in treating patients who suffer from this condition. And in this article, we will explain to you everything you need to know about chiropractic for chronic fatigue syndrome.

What Are the Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Until quite recently, the medical community did not even recognize chronic fatigue syndrome as a condition. However, it is a dire and debilitating reality for people like you, who suffer from it. It truly adds insult to the injury when you are told that you are just tired, isn’t it?

However, chiropractic for chronic fatigue syndrome exists because our branch of medicine does not dismiss any condition that limits your ability to enjoy life. And, as more doctors started to pay attention to CFS, they also discovered the root causes of this condition:

  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Immune system problems
  • Physical trauma.

Why You Should Not Ignore Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

As we grow up, we are taught to “deal with it” when it comes to many situations when we do not feel well. Being an adult means being able to put up a happy face and carry on with your work and family life.

This approach is extremely wrong and detrimental. A patient with CFS cannot deal with permanent physical and mental exhaustion. They will find their lifestyle confined to a cycle of trying to work and trying to rest at home. Socializing, being intimate with their partner, pursuing hobbies they used to enjoy are left behind.

In time, this leads to social isolation, depression, and poor performance at work. However, you have the power to stop this vicious cycle by choosing chiropractic for chronic fatigue syndrome.

How Can Chiropractic for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Help You?

A chiropractor is trained to look beyond the visible symptoms and identify the root cause of your CFS. In many cases, chronic fatigue syndrome is triggered by physical and emotional trauma, such as being involved in a traffic accident.

Chiropractic for chronic fatigue syndrome has two phases:

Phase 1 – Solving the Immediate Cause of CFS

The chiropractor will identify the physical cause of your CFS, which in many cases is a vertebral subluxation. This misalignment between vertebrae is putting pressure on nerves in your spine. 

As you may know, nerves control everything in your body – from your movements to your immune system, digestion, and ability to perform high-precision tasks. When a nerve is pinched or restricted by a vertebral subluxation, it is no longer able to pass messages from the brain effectively.

Thus, using various adjustment techniques, the chiropractor will restore the vertebrae to their normal position, reducing pressure and inflammation on the respective nerve.

Phase 2 – Creating a Long-Term Program to Help You Prevent CFS in the Future

Chiropractors know that CFS may reappear, especially if it is triggered by hormonal or immune system problems. For this reason, the second phase of chiropractic for chronic fatigue syndrome aims to prevent this condition from reoccurring, by:

  • Helping you adopt a healthy diet, full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients
  • Creating a detox program to eliminate heavy metals from your body
  • Encouraging you to stop taking pain medication and sleeping aids
  • Teaching you how to relieve stress in a healthy, natural way.

At the same time, you are encouraged to come for regular chiropractic maintenance appointments – once per month is usually enough. These appointments will help the chiropractor understand how you progress with your new lifestyle and perform simple adjustments and massages that keep your body in good shape.

Chiropractic for chronic fatigue syndrome is a tested and proven medical procedure that has helped many patients regain control over their lives. We encourage you to contact our chiropractic clinic and set up an initial evaluation appointment.

Categories Arm Pain

Chiropractic Care for Golfer’s Elbow

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Golfer’s elbow is a misleading name for this painful condition. You don’t have to be a golfer to experience pain and a reduced range of motion in your elbow. In reality, the inflammation of the muscles and ligaments in the elbow can be caused by everyday activities. In this article, we will show you how chiropractic care for golfer’s elbow can help you heal from this condition without painkillers.

What Causes Golfer’s Elbow?

Golfer’s elbow is the result of overuse of the muscles and ligaments in your elbow. If your job involves gripping and lifting weights (movers, factory workers) you may suffer from golfer’s elbow at a certain point.

The intense physical effort over a long period of time will cause micro-tears in the muscles and tendons. These micro-tears generate inflammation. The tendons and muscles become stiff and painful. In time, the slight sense of discomfort will grow into pain and stiffness.

The RICE Method Is Not the Best Option

Before choosing chiropractic care for golfer’s elbow, many patients search online for simple home treatments. Inevitably, they learn about the RICE method: rest, ice, compress and elevate.

In theory, by stopping all physical activity and applying cold, you reduce pain and allow the inflamed muscles and ligaments to heal. But, as any chiropractor can tell you, this type of healing by doing nothing will leave some lasting negative effects.

Not doing anything to reduce inflammation and resolve the stiffness will lead to the formation of scar tissue at the injury site. Scar tissue, just like the one visible on your skin after major trauma, is different from regular muscle and ligament tissue. It is less flexible and does not have the same strength as the tissue before injury. Thus, you will not be able to move your elbow freely and rely on your arm for heavy lifting activities.

What Is the Approach of Chiropractic Care for Golfer’s Elbow?

What does a chiropractor do differently? And why should you choose chiropractic to treat golfer’s elbow?

First of all, the chiropractor will evaluate your physical condition as a whole, not just your elbow. You may be surprised, but golfer’s elbow may originate in a poor posture while performing specific repetitive tasks. Once the evaluation is complete, the specialist will create a personalized plan for your chiropractic care for golfer’s elbow.

Here are the main goals of this treatment plan:

1. Break Up the Scar Tissue

If you waited some time before getting a chiropractic appointment, you probably have scar tissue around your elbow. The chiropractor will apply specific manipulations whose purpose is to break up this tissue.

This may appear counterproductive to you, but it is actually the only way of encouraging your muscles and ligaments to heal and return to their original form and function.

2. Restore Flexibility

Chiropractic care for golfer’s elbow will focus next on regaining the full use of your arm. Through careful joint manipulations, the chiropractor will restore the natural alignment of the elements that form your elbow.

Every human joint is a feat of engineering, and the slightest damage can disturb the natural flow of movement. This is the reason why golfer’s elbow leaves you unable to bend and extend your arm to the full. 

3. Reduce Inflammation

In parallel with getting your elbow back in its natural position, the chiropractor will also focus on alleviating your pain. Massages and other specialized manipulations will encourage blood to flow properly through your elbow, which will reduce the level of inflammation and, consequently, your pain.

Golfer’s elbow is a painful condition that leaves you unable to use your arm for a lot of daily activities. With chiropractic treatment, you can get rid of the pain and regain full control over your arm. We invite you to schedule an appointment with one of our chiropractors and start your personalized treatment plan!

Categories Back Pain

How Can a Chiropractor Help with Tingling and Numbness?

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Many people complain of tingling and numbness in their hands and feet, but not all of them realize that this is not just an inconvenience. The sensation of pins and needles or that your hand or leg has “gone to sleep” represent warnings that something is not right within your body. In this article, we will discuss the main causes of this condition, how to diagnose it properly and treat it.

What Causes Tingling and Numbness in Hands and Feet?

The core issue that leads to these symptoms is nerve interference. Nerves can get pinched or compressed by one of the following conditions:

  • Bulging discs in the spine
  • Spinal stenosis (the reduction of the spinal cord canal)
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrist
  • Tennis elbow
  • Scar tissue after an untreated injury
  • Spondylosis.

Why does a pinched nerve cause the sensation of tingling and numbness? You must imagine your brain as the central command center and the nerves as the highways used by messengers to dispatch orders. Every movement you make, from each breath you take to the act of lifting a weight, is controlled by your brain.

When a nerve is pinched or compressed, it is similar to a highway getting partially blocked by a landslide. The messengers cannot get through; or they do so with great difficulty. This translates in loss of sensation, strength and full control over your fingers and toes,

Are Tingling and Numbness Dangerous?

Any professional chiropractor will tell you that tingling, and numbness should not be ignored. At the same time, you needn’t panic unnecessarily. The feeling of pins and needles is not the symptom of a life threatening of debilitating condition.

However, it leaves you unable to enjoy life to the full, do your job properly or even perform daily chores. You may feel unsure of your own ability to perform various physical tasks, such as running, carrying heavy weights, or operating machinery and precision instruments.

How to Diagnose Tingling and Numbness Properly

As we explained above, the sensation of pain and needles can be caused by a pinched nerve in your spine or various joints (elbow, wrist, knee, etc.). For this reason, you will need to see a doctor first, to determine where the nerve compression occurred.

You may be subject to various tests, such as:

  • X-ray
  • Muscle tests
  • Neurological tests
  • Orthopedic tests.

The doctor will also test your range of movement in all your joints. Once the diagnosis is clear, the doctor may refer you to a chiropractor for treatment.

Can Chiropractic Help?

Chiropractic is particularly effective in treating these conditions. The beneficial effects were even documented in a clinical study published in the US National Library of Medicine in 2008. In the test, 162 patients suffering from radiculopathy (a pinched nerve condition that causes tingling, numbness, and pain) received chiropractic treatment. More than 85% of the participants reported a significant improvement in their condition after completing the chiropractic sessions.

How can a chiropractor help improve tingling and numbness? Depending on the cause of these symptoms, the chiropractor may apply:

  • Adjustment of misaligned joints
  • Spinal manipulation to resolve bulging discs
  • Deep-tissue massage to relieve tension and inflammation.

At the same time, the chiropractor will recommend you several home remedies, such as the application of ice and gentle exercises to regain your full range of movements.

If you suffer from tingling and numbness in your hands or feet, a chiropractor at our clinic can treat the root cause of these symptoms. After you complete the treatment plan, you will be able to return to your regular life and activities. Call us now to schedule an appointment!

Categories Back Pain

Sprain vs. Strain – a Chiropractor Explains the Difference

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

No matter how careful you are, accidents will happen. You stumble, you slip and fall, or you land awkwardly on one foot while playing sports. The pain is sharp, and you wonder: did I get a sprain or a strain? In this article, we will discuss the differences between sprain vs. strain and why you should see one of the chiropractors at our practice if you suffer one of these injuries. 

Do Not Ignore a Sprain or Strain

The first thing we want you to remember is that, beyond the sprain vs. strain differences, they both have something in common: they are serious injuries which need treatment. You should not let these injuries heal by themselves, as some people would advise you.

Injuries represent a trauma, where a muscle is pulled beyond its limit or joint becomes misaligned. The only way the body knows how to fix a sprain or strain is by building hard scar tissue to repair the damage. Thus, the respective part of the body becomes stiffer, less mobile and loses its strength and flexibility.

The right way of dealing with a sprain or strain is going to a chiropractor to heal them. Chiropractic is a safe, non-invasive branch of medicine, which focuses on healing the underlying cause, not just its end result – the pain.

Main Causes of a Sprain or Strain

You can get a muscle strain or sprain in various ways, from falling down in an awkward position to being involved in a car accident. However, most of our patients report that they were playing sports or suffered a slip and fall.

Realistically, it is practically impossible to avoid getting a sprain or strain. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, strains and sprains are among the most frequent sport injuries, both for professional and amateur athletes.

What Is a Muscle Strain?

A muscle strain can be either acute or chronic. Acute strains are caused when the muscle is suddenly pulled or twister in an accident, resulting in small ruptures of the fibers that make up the muscle.

Chronic strain is the result of intense physical exertion and repetitive movements which cause wear and tear to the muscle. The condition may appear within months or years, depending on a person’s level of fitness.

In both cases, strain is recognized by symptoms of:

  • Intense pain at the injury site
  • Tenderness and redness of the skin
  • Swollen muscle tissue.

What Is a Sprain?

In the discussion of sprain vs. strain, we have a concrete difference between the two. A sprain is always the result of a single traumatic event – thus, acute. Sprains affect joints, especially the ankles, knees, wrists, and elbows. 

A sprain means that the joint is twisted out of its natural position. In some cases, nerves and ligaments may be pinched between the misaligned joint elements, causing pain, numbness or the feeling of pins and needles.

How Chiropractic Helps

Now that you know the difference between sprain vs. strain, let us focus on the best way of healing these injuries. We believe that chiropractic is the right choice for anyone because it does not involve invasive medical procedures or taking pills.

Depending on the type and severity of the injury, the chiropractor will recommend:

  • Adjustments
  • Massages
  • Stretching and exercises
  • Electronic muscle stimulation
  • Physical therapy and rehabilitation.

If you suffered a sprain or strain, we encourage you to book an appointment with one of our chiropractors as soon as possible, before the injured area develops scar tissue.

Categories Neck Pain

Neck Pain Has Many Causes, But Only One Natural Remedy

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

Neck Pain

At one point or another, most people experience neck pain. Neck pain has many causes, a variety of symptoms, and is one of the most common reasons people will seek out chiropractic treatment. For some, neck pain may be a weekly source of irritation. For others, it can become constant, severe, and debilitating.

When neck pain starts to intrude into everyday activities, putting limitations on the things you enjoy doing, something has to change. Neck pain and chiropractic treatment go hand-in-hand. Upper Cervical Chiropractors help by determining the root cause of the pain and work with you to reduce and eliminate it.

The causes of neck pain

Pain is an indication that your body is struggling to meet the demands that are placed on it. Today, we are surrounded by constant stressors: tight work deadlines, busy kid schedules, financial speedbumps, and never-ending family drama. In times of stress, our bodies undergo physiological changes. Muscles become tense, stress hormones are released, and we slip into unhealthy posture habits (next time you’re frustrated in traffic, notice what happens to your neck and shoulders). 

When we’re stressed, we compromise our posture. When we’re stressed often enough, or long enough, our bodies “forget” how to hold themselves in normal posture. Eventually, our body can’t take it anymore and sends out warning signals: pain. The same thing happens when our body undergoes physical trauma (a car accident or a fall while skiing…).

Joints misaligned

Suddenly, muscles, ligaments, and connective structures are pushed out of whack. You might not notice pain immediately as your body processes what has happened to it. Eventually, when your body registers that it is not able to move normally, or is stuck in certain positions, it will start to flare up with pain.

Your brain interprets pain like an alarm. It means that there’s something going on that needs to be stopped or changed. You may experience neck or back pain that prevents you from turning side to side, or maybe you’ve had forearm pain that limits how much you can extend your elbow. Pain impacts the body in many profound ways to try to limit actions/movements that might aggravate it. The symptoms of neck pain include:

  • Stiffness
  • Sharpness
  • Tight muscles
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Radiating tingling
  • Numbness or weakness of the arms

Upper cervical chiropractic takes a holistic approach

The chiropractic treatment for neck pain includes an in-depth analysis of your spine, looking for misalignments or locked-up joints. A chiropractor evaluates your posture and uses objective measures to determine how best to treat and manage these dysfunctional parts of the spine.

Neck pain after chiropractic treatment can decrease rapidly. Once your chiropractor has determined how your spine has become misaligned and adjusts accordingly, the pain is reduced. This means you walk away with fewer headaches and less stress and can spend more time doing the things your love. 

What does an appointment with your chiropractor look like? Your chiropractor will take a specific series of x-rays and precisely measure joints of the spine to determine where individual vertebra have become misaligned. The chiropractic treatment of neck pain includes gentle, non-invasive adjustments made by hand.

Following the adjustment, you rest for a few minutes to allow your body to setting and relax in proper alignment. Alignment is key. When your spine is aligned, your body responds positively. Pain is not something anybody should have to live with. By seeking chiropractic care, you empower yourself and can live pain-free!

Categories Upper Cervical Care

How We are Preventing Bacterial Infection

Author The Upper Cervical Spine Center Chiropractor Posted on

I am finding, in our offices and in daily conversation, more and more that people don’t have a firm grasp on what illness and bacterial infection really is. This is not anyone person’s fault. The public’s understanding is subject to what they are told by the ‘authorities’ of any field. What are the ‘authorities’ on health defining disease? I hear plenty of different points of view on this question. Let’s narrow things down to one type of disease for now.

Bacterial Infection

Ear infections, Staph infections, Strep throat, Pneumonia, etc. These are some of the bacterial infections a microbiologist would think of when they think in terms of bacteria. Ok, we have certain types of bacteria, which cause certain types of infections and have certain symptoms. Let’s look at Staph infections for a moment. Staphylococcus aureus is the species responsible here. What is commonly referred to as a ‘staph infection’ is a large boil in the skin tissue.

When skin gets exposed to these bacteria it leads to a boil…… Right? Wrong! Staphylococcus aureus is always on your skin. In fact, the skin is the home of this bacteria. It thrives in places like your armpits, moist creases, and between your toes. Yeah, it’s responsible for those stinky feet smell. No one is without these bacteria.

However, most of us are not suffering from boils, so how does the infection start? Well, the bacteria need to find a break in the skin barrier so they can multiply underneath. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been cut plenty of times, accidentally poked myself with sharp things, and even punctured myself with a knife in a moment of clumsiness.

How many of us experience a bacterial infection? 

For me, personally, never. What could be happening that keeps me from contracting this sort of bacterial infection? Why am I not getting boils on my face every time I cut myself shaving? What is it that is preventing bacterial infection? The answer is, I have an immune system. There are nerve fibers picking up information on every square millimeter of skin on my body which start an inflammatory reaction when I get any sort of irritation to the skin barrier. Immediately, this inflammation is slowing down the invading bacteria. This stops it from getting into the bloodstream and other areas of the body.

Then, little white blood cells flock to the area to put up a fight. They literally eat any sort of bacteria and keep the bacteria away from where they don’t belong. Since Staphylococcus aureus is all over my body, my immune system recognizes it right off. It knows where it is and how to kill it. Natural Ear Infection Care In our office Ok, we know how we get the infections and that our body can stop them…

Why do some people get a full infection, and some don’t?

There must be something wrong with their immune system. What could go wrong? There could be a compromise in the immune system. The reason that you may have heard about MRSA(medication-resistant staph) is that it is a big deal in hospitals. 

People in the hospital who are recovering from surgery and that sort of thing are more prone to infection than others since their bodies are in a state of severe repair. There is just too much going on to deal with fighting off bacteria too. This leaves a higher rate of these types of bacterial infection within hospitalized populations than outside. Normal people out in the world are getting these infections too. Why? Here is the bottom line:

If your immune system isn’t up to par, you are open to infection. If your nervous system cannot properly direct the immune system, you are at risk of infection. Here is how we are preventing bacterial infection in our office: our offices work to restore optimum function in the nervous system so that the body can provide organs, like the lymphatic system and the thymus, with all the information that they need.

Contact us to see how we can help you!

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