Our Services: More than Just a Good Chiropractor
CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION
Spinal manipulation is a tool used to restore normal movement to a joint and reduce the traction stress on the surrounding soft tissues. This give the injured tissue an opportunity to repair without constant strain. In many cases it will diminish pain. Mechanical stress to the joint is only one of a number of pain causing factor which must to addressed for recovery. Many people think that manipulation of the spine, puts a bone back in place. It important to remember that if a joint was meant to be “in place” there wouldn’t be a joint there to begin with. The whole purpose of a joint is to allow movement and a joint only stays in one place for a very short period of time. The first step in recovery from a painful condition is to restore movement and reduce tissue strain.
EXERCISE
Did you ever wonder why the body gets stronger with exercise? The body thinks it needs to be stronger to function or to survive. When the body is healing moderate stress on the tissue makes it heal stronger. When the body thinks the healing job is done then it quits. You don’t want the body to quit before the repair is strong enough, so do your exercises.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Physical therapies are often employed by chiropractors. These include ultrasound, electrical muscle stem, micro-currents, massage, trigger point therapy, hot packs and cold packs.
These are additional tools which we can use to accelerate the repair process for our patients.
ORTHOTICS
The feet are the foundation of the spine. Dropped and painful arches not only change our gait in the way we walk but they allow the pelvis to sag on one side. Arch supports (orthotics) are very helpful in maintaining the proper function of the foot. This in turn allows many aspects of the musculoskeletal system to work properly and freely.
ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture taps into the communication system the body uses to detect and heal tissue damage. Acupuncture doesn’t heal, it stimulates your body to heal. Acupuncture can’t make the body do something it is not already designed to do. Sometimes we underestimate what the body can do. Acupuncture accelerates healing.
STRETCHING
Stretching allows for easy of motion and therefore helps prevent excess strain during activities and during the repair process. Stretching is really a re-education process. I tell my patients that when they take the muscle back to school for re-education that they have to go to the third grade. In the third grade we learn with encouragement and sweetness. Don’t take your muscle to high school like a lot of people do. It will cause the muscle to rebel.
NUTRITION
There are many reasons nutrition is important. When you are recovering from an injury you need to supply the raw materials and all the tools the body needs to create new cells. Nutrient dense foods are generally colorful. Eat your greens, reds, purples and oranges. Eat good sources of protein and now that fats are good for you, eat your red meat. Some specific processes require specific nutrition. A good food based vitamin can be very helpful. Synthetics are truly not as good.
FITNESS AND CONDITIONING
Patients often blame their conditions, aches and pains on old age. What we call old age is the accumulation of abuses and the accumulation of neglect. Abuses and neglect can take many forms. Abuses can be repetitive motion injuries at work, improper body position during lifting, recreational activities without proper preparation, or outside forces from accidents. Neglect can be getting too little exercise, eating the wrong foods, forgetting to exercise your heart, watching too much TV or playing too many video games. There are many cultures in the world where adult exercise is encouraged and facilitated. Many of these are in the old world where people walk the plaza in the evening, go to festivals and dancing and have contests of strength and agility. These older societies have learned something that we have yet to learn.