Although chiropractors main method of treatment typically consists of the spinal adjustment (spinal manipulation), chiropractors also employ many adjunctive therapies and applications in order to provide the most effective and efficient relief from neuromusculoskeletal disorders.
The chiropractic spinal adjustment represents the cornerstone of the chiropractic treatment. Spinal adjustments are used successfully to treat a variety of different soft tissue disorders as well as a number of other health problems. Chiropractic doctors are the only health care professionals trained to deliver the chiropractic spinal adjustment.
Spinal adjustments or spinal manipulation is the process of applying a quick but gentle pressure to “subluxated” vertebrae in a corrective manner. The adjustments are not and should not be painful. In fact, most patients look forward to their chiropractic adjustments as they usually provide immediate relief from discomfort and increase one’s sense of well being. Many years of study and practice are necessary to acquire the skills of providing an effective and safe spinal adjustment.
Research has shown spinal adjustments to be the most effective treatment in numerous conditions including back pain. This is because spinal adjustments correct many of the structural, biomechanical and neurological abnormalities of the spine which cause or contribute to a high number of back, neck and other non-spinal ailments.
Soft Tissue & Massage Therapy
There are a number of soft tissue therapy techniques which can be successfully employed to assist in the reduction of pain and muscle hypertonicity and spasm. Some of these include massage therapy, trigger point therapy, somatic therapy, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, acupressure point therapy, and rolfing. The need and benefits of these therapies vary from patient to patient. Depending on your condition and response to treatment we may incorporate one or more of these therapies into your treatment plan.
Exercise For Life
Exercise is essential for a long, healthy and vibrant life. It has been scientifically shown to increase health by lowering blood cholesterol levels, strengthening the immune system, lowering body fat, increasing one’s sense of well being, and increasing muscle strength, tone and function.
Chiropractors understand the importance of exercise and the essential role it plays in health. We encourage all patients to participate in physical activities which promote cardiovascular health and can assist you finding the right activity. We do recommend those over the age of 40 or those with known health problems to consult our office prior to initiating any exercise regimen.
Exercise For Injuries
Therapeutic exercises for the neck, back, and extremities are an essential part of the rehabilitative process following injury. Chiropractic doctors commonly prescribe specific strengthening and stabilizing exercises and stretches for their patients with back, neck and extremity problems.
Exercises provide many benefits during the healing and preventative stages. Early on, exercise prevents muscle deterioration and promotes joint health. Later on, exercises increase strength, proprioception and stability to protect from new injuries and recurrences of past problems.
Therapeutic stretching is important to prevent scar tissue and adhesion formation following injury. Stretching is most effective when initiated early on in the treatment plan before scar tissues become permanent.
Maintaining a regular stretching program once the rehabilitation stage of treatment has been completed will help keep tissues flexible and loose, increasing mobility and preventing the development of new injuries.
There are some physical modalities which in certain cases can provide additional pain relief and accelerated healing. Some of these more common modalities include muscle stimulation, interferential stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, and diathermy (deep heating modality).
Employee health training and education is aimed at reducing work-related injuries. Optimal workstation setup, the employment of ergonomics, training of proper lifting techniques, adequate physical conditioning and the employment of appropriate safety precautions all play important roles in employee health, work injury prevention, and employee satisfaction.
Part of any successful and effective treatment plan should address these issues.
Dietary and nutritional imbalances are responsible for and contribute to a great number of disorders and illnesses which are prevalent in today’s society. The top killers such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer have all been linked in numerous ways to diet and nutrition.
Doctors of chiropractic receive thorough training in the areas of human diet and nutrition. We can design a personalized dietary or nutritional program to minimize the risk of developing these killer conditions and to assist your body in achieving and maintaining optimal health and superior wellness.
Good health is much more than the absence of pain or discomfort. Health exists along a very wide scale and where you lie on that scale largely depends on the lifestyle choices you make on a daily basis. Years of many small unhealthy choices can manifest into very serious health problems. Unhealthy choices include habitual poor posture, improper lifting techniques, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, excessive reliance on medication, excessive soda and coffee consumption, excessive saturated fat consumption, lack of nutritious fruits and vegetables, and excessive mental stress. These slowly chip away at your good health. We can help you sort through and identify those unhealthy decisions and provide you with practical strategies to deal with and effectively manage them.
We look forward to hearing from you
I haven’t woken up with a migraine in a month – that’s the first time ľ’ve been able to say that in the past 59 years. The migraines were for many years hormonal but as I got older they evolved into what I felt had a more physical cause. Over the years I’ve tried chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, Botox, and naturopathic remedies. I’ve been prescribed many ‘preventative’ migraine medications, all to no avail. I’ve been hospitalized with tests showing no causation of the migraines and when, many years later, a neurologist told me he could not help me I gave myself up as a lost cause.
Every time I awoke with a migraine I blamed myself in part – too much time vacuuming perhaps or raking or even sitting for too long. The only resource I had was a migraine medication taken with OTC pain killer/muscle relaxants and often in addition antinausea tablets. My days, sometimes as many as 5-6 times weekly, were spent enduring the migraine until the medications kicked in many hours later or, in the following days, feeling the aftereffects of both the migraine and the medications.
Regular chiropractor adjustments, particularly with Dr. Nik, reduced the severity of the migraines so when he suggested Spinal Decompression along with more frequent chiropractic adjustments I was only too willing to try the treatment even though it was costly. I was not apprehensive but instead interested in starting the process which I found relaxing and not at all painful or uncomfortable and I appreciated the reassurance given that I was in the correct positioning. The 30-minute sessions passed quickly, and I appreciated greatly the wonderful care I received. I expected that if the
treatment was successful for me it would be after perhaps half of the 25 sessions, but 1 started feeling better after only a few appointments and improved incrementally with each session.In the past my life was filled with pain and the ensuing procrastination in many aspects of my life and now to wake each day without a migraine is so astounding that it is taking me a while to adjust mentally. I am no longer surviving my days but living a life I thought was impossible due to the constant migraines. I am now able to sit at my laptop and write regular emails to my family members overseas – a task which would always result in a migraine and was, therefore, constantly postponed. I no longer dread going out for the day knowing it would result in a migraine that night. My adult children are so happy to see the difference in me – seeing me live each day fully with optimism. It would have been so easy to discount the suggestion that there was yet another option in my constant search for migraine relief given the cost and the logistics of multiple appointments, but I am so glad that I took a leap of faith and ended up with a lightness of being in body and spirit which I thought was improbable if not impossible.
MBW
