Article 1

Should I get adjusted by my chiropractor before or after I go to workout at the gym?

This is a great question for anyone looking to get the most out of their chiropractic care and their workout/training. The primary goal of an adjustment is to remove mechanical and neurological interference that results from a joint that is out of alignment. Doctor’s refer to a misaligned joint as a Subluxation. When the integrity of the joint is restored after an adjustment we find that the body functions at a higher level of performance. For this reason it is recommended that athletes get adjusted prior to training and competition. This is why the Olympic athletes also get adjusted prior to competing. There is also a greater chance of preventing sports injuries when joints are articulating optimally.

Article 2

In your last article you mentioned getting adjusted helps prevent injuries. Can you explain this please, how does chiropractic work to prevent injuries?

Very simple, when you place physical demand on a joint you assert a certain amount of stress to the supporting tissues and structures of that joint i.e.; muscles, ligaments and tendons. If the joint you are stressing is not articulating in its optimal range of motion it will transmit greater stress to these supporting tissues. This is the makings of a sports injury. Chiropractors are trained to detect and correct decreased range of motion in joints. Early detection and correction restores the strength of a joint and prevents excessive stress and injury to the supporting muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Article 3

My friend is in pain and I feel he would benefit from chiropractic care. However, he seems reluctant or afraid. What can I tell him?

Fear is one of the greatest deterrents to achieving holistic health. A responsible person is one who has the ability to respond. This means overcoming fear of any kind and handling the situation. He must respond in this way on his own volition. Try not to coax, trick or convince him into care. Give the invitation and wait until he is open. In the meanwhile provide him with accurate information so he can make an informed choice. Did you know a New Zealand government study found that adjustments are "remarkably safe" and that adjustments are about 100 times safer than taking an over-the-counter pain reliever? Compare the statistics.

Article 4

How do I know if I have a slipped disc?

Discs act as a shock absorber allowing the spine to move and protect the exiting nerve roots. They have a fibrous outer ring holding within a jelly-like material. A "slipped disc" is a generic term that inaccurately refers to a variety of disc problems. A disc can’t slip because of its amazing attachment to the spinal bones above and below. A disc can; bulge, thin, tear, herniated, sequester, dry out and collapse. But it can’t slip. The best way to diagnose disc problems is with the new weight bearing (standing) MRI. The discs absorb nutrients via osmosis therefore the best way to prevent disc problems is to insure motion into each spinal disc. This is accomplished with exercise and regular chiropractic adjustments to prevent fixated spinal segments. The most prevalent undetected disc problem is DDD or degenerative disc disease. You can help prevent DDD with good spinal hygiene.

Article 5

What is Sciatica and how can I treat it?

The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in the body and it runs down the back of each leg. When this nerve becomes inflamed or irritated doctors refer to it as sciatica. Vertebral Subluxation is one of the most common causes of sciatic. Research shows that patients who use chiropractic adjustments have a greater rate of recovery than patients treated by standard medical care and therapy. This chiropractic approach uses carefully directed and controlled pressure to relieve the interference from the spinal structures. Chiropractic adjustments can be quite successful in removing the cause of sciatica and low back pain. Please refer to the Manga, Angus, Papadopaulos & Swan report on The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low Back Pain (funded by The Ontario Ministry of Health) Aug. 1993: 104.

Article 6

My massage therapist tells me I have a slipped rib and should see a chiropractor. Can it really help?

This is a great question. The medical terminology for a slipped rib is a rib Subluxation. We often see this presentation with weekend warriors and new yoga practitioners. The head of the rib usually subluxates downwards and away from the spinal vertebrae. This misalignment places stress and inflammation on the surrounding tissues. When this stress irritates the costal nerve, you may experience pain from back to front along the rib, shortness of breathe and pain at the end of inhalation. Your chiropractor is trained to adjust the rib back into place, which can elevate the stress, inflammation and pain. Several adjustments may be necessary to restore the integrity of the joint.

Article 7

Q: How often should I get checked by a Chiropractor?

A: Doctors recommend you get checked annually by a chiropractor just as you would your dentist. It is much easier to correct spinal misalignments and other associated conditions with early detection. However, patients will often come in only when "it hurts". Unfortunately, when it comes to health, symptoms are the last thing to occur and the first to go away. This means, accumulative tissue damage takes place before the body throws in the towel giving us those warning pain signals. Because it has taken some time for the tissues to be damaged, healing will also take time to reverse this damage. The longer we wait to practice good spinal hygiene the greater the risk for spinal degeneration. Pain is not a good indication to our health. There is a point when Chiropractic can no longer help. Doctors refer to this as limitations of matter. Don’t wait until you have pain. Getting checked before symptoms arrive gives you the benefits of prevention, avoiding pain and better quality of life.  

Article 8

Q: How long does it really take to heal an injury?

A: This varies with each patient or athlete in accordance with their individual health goals. Most patients feel progress within a few weeks of frequent visits. Visit frequency becomes less as the spine stabilizes. Most patients we see are wellness patients. They have no pain or symptoms and receive regular adjustments for their optimal performance. The Olympic athletes use chiropractic to compete at the top of their game. The average working person utilizes chiropractic to help optimize their body’s ability to respond to their environment and demands on the body/mind. Take a look at the average tissue repair time according to the latest sports medicine literature: acute inflammation (3-4 days) tissue repair (2-6 weeks) tissue remodeling (3 weeks-1 year) ligament healing (50% in 6 months, 80 % in 1year, 100 % in 1-3 years). True healing takes time.

Article 9

Q: What causes T.M.J. problems?

A: TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint. Like most joints, it is susceptible to acute and repetitive injuries. For example, acute injury may be whiplash/auto accidents or even biting down on a hard substance. Examples of repetitive trauma may be: uneven bite, jaw mistractioning, or chewing gum on one side. The TMJ joint responds to injuries with inflammation, causing the joint to swell and stretching pain sensitive nerves within the joint capsule (envelope around the joint). In some cases, pain sensitive structures stabilizing the joint are caught between the bones of the TMJ leading to swelling. This may cause muscle spasms in the strongest muscles of the body, the masseter, which can be very painful. Proper treatment for TMJ dysfunction such as locking, popping, clicking or cracking may require collaborative care with your chiropractor and dentist.

Article 10

Q: How do you cure Carpal Tunnel?

A: Carpal Tunnel is a condition that usually starts out as wrist Tendonitis. The wrist is tender to the touch under constant tension from the forearm tendons and muscles. As it progresses, usually via repetitive use, the surrounding tissues become displaced and inflamed. Chiropractors have developed a protocol to take patients with extreme Carpal Tunnel and Tendonitis and heal them. I have never had a patient that did not respond well to this protocol. The protocol consists of adjustments to the elbow and wrist in conjunction with a series of stretches. The protocol allows the body to heal by interrupting the cause, introducing better biophysics, and conditioning the body so the cause does not return.

Article 11

Q: How does getting adjusted improve your immune system?

A: David Felten, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy at University of Rochester School of Medicine. In the last ten years, he and others discovered nerve fibers that physically link the nervous system to every organ of the immune system. Their research provided a bridge that chiropractors have long known. If there is interference in the nervous system as is the case with a Subluxation (spinal bone misalignment), it will adversely effect the immune system. Your chiropractor adjusts Subluxations to remove nerve interference and improve your immunity, without the deadly side effects of drugs. Studies have shown a 48% increase in immune function of chiropractic patients by measuring the CD4 cell counts in the blood. There is plenty of research to discover on this topic. Better yet try it for yourself, and see if you get sick less often as most of our patients report.

Article 12

Q: How does posture affect our health?

A: Posture affects our neurology, immunity, psychology, body mechanics and much more. Roger Sperry, Ph.D., Nobel Prize winner for Brain research (1980), stated, "The more mechanically distorted a person is the less energy is available for thinking, metabolism and healing." Mechanically, the body was designed to distribute motion and weight of each body part from head to toe via the joints. If any joint does not articulate properly with the joint above or below, the supporting soft tissue will accumulate physical stress, inflammation, and pain patterns. Eventually a misaligned joint will respond to the stress and lack of motion with deposition of calcium on the articulating bones. This principal, known as Wolf’s Law, shows up in the body in the following ways: bone spurs, early degeneration, arthritis, spinal decay, degenerative disc disease etc... We can help prevent this with proper spinal hygiene (getting adjusted) and good posture. So keep your shoulders back and chin up!

Article 13

I am experiencing neck pain after a car accident three weeks ago. What should I do?

Whiplash injuries or acceleration-deceleration injuries may present with an array of symptoms, neck pain being the most constant one. The clinical presentation may take several days or weeks to climax. Low back pain is a common sequela of soft tissue injury of the cervical spine. Therefore, it is important that a full spinal assessment be performed for anyone involved in an apparently regionally specific injury such as cervical whiplash. When treatment is delayed, it can worsen symptoms and prevent a timely recovery. Our office specializes in whiplash injuries using a combined approach of chiropractic, massage and rehabilitation. This approach is very effective.