Neck Pain
Why does my neck hurt?
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Whenever people experience pain, it is always a symptom! This means that the pain that an individual experiences is nothing more than their body’s way of telling them that something is wrong. If a person has had periodic mild soreness sand stiffness that has gradually gotten worse, it is often a sign that the underlying problem has been present for a prolonged period of time and, like the majority of health conditions, has progressive worsened as time passes.
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How chiropractic can help?
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Again, it depends on the cause of the symptom and the severity. Some people have degeneration that is so bad, that they’ve passed the window of opportunity for corrective chiropractic care and are only able to receive the benefit of palliative (pain relieving) chiropractic care. Others simply have biomechanical issues that can be resolved with chiropractic treatment and therapy that is designed to address the vertebral and soft tissue components of this problem.
What can I do?
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Depending on what is found on the x-rays and exam, chiropractic treatment and home exercises may be prescribed. The goal of this type of treatment is to correct the bio-mechanical issues from a corrective stand point. By doing this, our clinic is able to get a person feeling better, correct the underlying condition and give you a strategy that allows you to prevent these problems from returning die to the passing of time.
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Headaches
What causes a headache?
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Many things can cause headaches. Headaches can be caused by smells, sounds, trauma, high blood pressure, and a whole host of various conditions. However, one of the main causes of headaches is spinal misalignments (subluxation) accompanied by muscle tensions from the neck and upper shoulders.
These are called a cervicogenic headache. Many times, these headaches can be a byproduct of whiplash, neck injury or muscle trauma due to poor prolonged posture or even stress. This type of headache can produce soreness and pain in any of the following locations: base of the skull, above the ears, in the temples, or above the eyes. People often blame this type of a headache on their sinuses. Although one might feel the pain in one or more of these locations, the headache is actually caused by a problem in the neck.
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If we first look at the commonalities between migraines and the most common kind of a headache, cervicogenic headaches, we can then discuss the unique symptoms. Men and women alike can experience these types of headaches. Both migraines and cervicogenic headache sufferers complain of various symptoms ranging from pain, head throbbing, nausea, phonophobia (sensitivity to sound), and photophobia (sensitivity to light). Often the symptoms of cervicogenic headaches are confused with migraine headaches.
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How can we help eliminate or decrease headaches?
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Chiropractic treatment has been shown effective in the treatment of headaches! There are numerous research studies that prove that chiropractic care is a safe and effective way to treat both cervicogenic and migraine headaches without drugs.
According to the American Chiropractic Association, 14% of the public who see chiropractors presently go for headaches. Most people have dramatic results and become completely headache free. Some migraine sufferers find complete relief. Researchers at Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Minnesota, compared chiropractic care to certain drug therapies used for tension and migraine headaches.
The study, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, followed 218 headache sufferers who were given either chiropractic care or drug therapy or both. The pain was reduced 40 – 50% in all groups initially. However, four weeks after all care was stopped, only the chiropractic group still retained the benefits, while those who received the drug therapy lost about half of their improvement.
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What can I do to ease my headaches?
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It depends on the individual. After performing a thorough examination and looking at x-rays, it is possible to determine what treatment need to be performed. Many times, treatment is a combination of chiropractic and home care, without the use of drugs, to help prolong the beneficial effects of the chiropractic adjustments and keep the headaches from coming back as often or at all.
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Are Chiropractors real doctors?
A chiropractic college grants a D.C. or Doctorate of Chiropractic degree. Chiropractors are licensed as health care providers in every U.S. state and dozens of countries around the world. While the competition for acceptance in chiropractic school is not as fierce as medical school, the chiropractic, and medical school curricula are extremely rigorous and virtually identical. In fact, chiropractors have more hours of classroom education than their medical counterparts.
As part of their education, chiropractic students also complete a residency working with real patients in a clinical setting, supervised by licensed doctors of chiropractic. Once chiropractic students graduate, they have to pass four sets of national board exams as well as state board exams in the states where they want to practice.
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Just like medical doctors, chiropractors are professionals that are subject to the same type of testing procedures, licensing and monitoring by state and national peer-reviewed boards. Federal and state programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Workers’ Compensations programs cover chiropractic care, and all federal agencies accept sick-leave certificates signed by doctors of chiropractic. Chiropractors are also commissioned as officers in the military.
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The biggest difference between chiropractors and medical doctors lies not in their level of education, but in their preferred method of caring for people. Medical doctors are trained in the use of medicines (chemicals that affect your internal biochemistry) and surgery. Consequently, if you have a chemical problem, such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, or an infection, medical doctors can be very helpful.
However, if your problem is that your spine is misaligned or you have soft tissue damage causing pain, there is no chemical in existence that can fix it. You need a physical solution to correct a physical problem. That is where chiropractic really shines. Chiropractors provide physical solutions — adjustments, exercises, stretches, muscle therapy — to help the body heal from conditions that are physical in origins, such as back pain, muscle spasms, headaches, and poor posture. Another distinction is the fact that it is completely appropriate to receive chiropractic care even if you do not have symptoms.
Unlike standard medical doctors, whom you visit when you have a symptom to be treated, chiropractors offer adjustments to improve spinal alignment and overall well-being before symptoms develop.
Why do medical doctors don't like chiropractors?
The American Medical Association’s opposition to chiropractic was at its strongest in the 1940s under the leadership of Morris Fishbein. Fishbein called chiropractors “rabid dogs” and referred to them as “playful and cute, but killers” He tried to portray chiropractors as members of an unscientific cult who cared about nothing but taking their patients’ money.
Up to the late 1970s and early 1980s, the medical establishment purposely conspired to try to destroy the profession of chiropractic. In fact, a landmark lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Illinois in the 1980s found that the American Medical Association was guilty of conspiracy and was ordered to pay restitution to the chiropractic profession.
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In the 20 years since the opinion of most medical doctors has changed: several major studies have shown the superiority of chiropractic in helping people with a host of conditions, and medical doctors developed a better understanding as to what chiropractors actually do.
Many people have returned to their medical doctors and told them about the great results they experienced at their chiropractor’s office. Hospitals across the country now have chiropractors on staff, and many chiropractic offices have medical doctors on staff. Chiropractors and medical doctors are now much more comfortable working together in cases where medical care is necessary as an adjunct to chiropractic care.
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Do I have to go to the chiropractor my entire life?
This statement comes up frequently when the topic of chiropractic is discussed. It is only partially true. You only have to continue going to the chiropractor as long as you wish to maintain the health of your neuromusculoskeletal system.
Going to a chiropractor is much like going to the dentist, exercising at a gym, or eating a healthy diet: As long as you keep it up, you continue to enjoy the benefits.
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Many years ago, dentists convinced everyone that the best time to go to the dentist is before your teeth hurt, that routine dental care will help your teeth remain healthy for a long time.
The same is true of chiropractic care for your spine. It is important to remember that, just like your teeth, your spine experiences normal wear and tear as you walk, drive, sit, lift, sleep, and bend.
Routine chiropractic care can help you feel better, move with more freedom, and stay healthier throughout your lifetime. Although you can enjoy the benefits of chiropractic care even if you receive care for a short time, the real benefits come into play when you make chiropractic care a part of your wellness lifestyle.