Posts by Dr. Travis Elliott DC
Benefits of Chiropractic Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is an excellent way to restore the body to its natural state and increase its healing capabilities. Benefits that result from massage include increased blood circulation, relief from joint and muscle pain, as well as help reduce levels of stress and depression. It has also been proven to aid in detoxifying the body, helping to rid it of waste and toxins. Massage therapy has been used over many years to help treat a vast number of conditions.
When used in addition with exercise and good nutrition, massage therapy helps insure that your body stays in top form. Regular practice of these activities helps minimize stress and pain, also making it easier for your body to fend off disease. Massage therapy is an excellent resource in maintaining optimal health.
Wellness Tips
Standing
Good Postures of the utmost importance. Don’t let your head hang down and don’t slouch. Wear comfortable shoes if you know you are going to be standing for a long period of time.
Sitting or Working at a Desk
Keep your computer at eye level to avoid looking down. Choose a chair that fits to your back and allows your feet to reach the floor while keeping your legs at a 90 degree angle. it is recommended that you stand up or stretch every 20 minutes or so.
Lifting
Always bend at the knees, NOT your back. Avoid lifting anything that may be too heavy. Lifting objects is one of the most common ways that people hurt themselves, even twisting or pulling in the wrong direction can, over time, lead to spinal misalignment.
Overall Physical Activity
Whenever you are going to be engaged in physical activity for an extended period of time, it is important that you stretch and warm up. Even the lightest of tasks can result in the pulling of something if the body is not adequately ready.
Talking On The Telephone
Avoid cradling the phone between your neck and shoulders. It is recommended that you use a headset when making long calls if available.
Resting or Sleeping
Falling asleep in odd positions can cause our neck a great amount of pain. Try to be sure your body is in a supportive position when napping or going to sleep.
What is a Subluxation?
A subluxation occurs when the vertebrae becomes misaligned and moves out of its normal position. When this occurs, the vertebrae can put unwanted pressure on the nerves, blood vessels, and all of its other surroundings. This pressure can cause pain and which will only get worse if left untreated. It also keeps the brain from being able to properly send messages to other parts of the body, greatly affecting your body’s ability to heal itself.
If left untreated, a subluxation can eventually cause the spine and its surroundings to begin a degenerative process that becomes more difficult reverse as the body begins to adjust itself to the misaligned shape. This causes pain and keeps the body from being able to treat itself. For these reasons, it is very important to get a subluxation treated and the spine realigned as early in the phase of misalignment as possible.
History
Chiropractic dates back to the time of Hippocrates, widely considered the father of western medicine. He believed that misalignment of the spine could lead to many affects on the health of any given individual.
Modern chiropractic began practice in 1895 when Dr. Daniel Palmer adjusted a man who had lost his hearing years prior. When the man’s vertebrae was realigned he heard a large pop, and his hearing after the adjustment greatly improved.
Dr. Palmer’s theories are still discussed in the chiropractic industry. The medical community may have criticized Palmer’s new method for healing the body, but many have followed in Palmer’s footsteps and have found an amazing new way to stay healthy and keep their body and health in optimal form. There are now over 20 chiropractic schools in the country with thousands of students learning the amazing techniques of chiropractic care.
Manipulation Diathermy
In the natural sciences, the term diathermy means “electrically induced heat” the use of high-frequency electromagnetic currents as a form of physical or occupational therapy and in surgical procedures. It is commonly used for muscle relaxation. It is also a method of heating tissue electromagnetically or ultrasonically for therapeutic purposes in medicine. Diathermy is used in physical therapy and occupational therapy to deliver moderate heat directly to pathologic lesions in the deeper tissues of the body.
x-ray
It is common for a doctor to take an X-ray of their patients so that they may get an inside look to see with is going on with their patient’s bone structure, including the spine and its surrounding skeletal structure. Using the information provided from an X-ray, the doctor can see any current irregularities with the spine that may need to be addressed and will also let them know if any further insight needs to be taken, such as through the use of an MRI.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is an oscillating sound pressure wave with a frequency greater than the upper limit of the human hearing range. Ultrasound is thus not separated from ‘normal’ (audible) sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it.
The use of ultrasound can induce hyperemia, which increases blood flow as tissue is heated. This thermal effects speeds up the healing process while reducing inflammation. Ultrasound is also used to vibrate tissue, stimulating cell membranes and heightening their repairing effects. Chiropractors often use ultrasound therapy to help their patients reduce swelling, increase blood flow, and decrease pain, spasms, and stiffness.
Microcurrent Therapy
Microcurrent Therapy involves a device that is used to send weak electrical signals into the body. These currents are very small and nearly go unnoticed by the patient receiving them. Microcurrent therapy is primarily used to enhance the body’s healing and recovery.
If spasms are being experienced in the back or neck muscles, Microcurrent Therapy may be an excellent choice as a means of relaxing your muscles and quickly returning them to their normal state. Microcurrent therapy sessions are rather quick and an excellent way to get rid acute and chronic pain.
Electrical Muscle Stimulation
Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), also known as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or electromyostimulation, is the elicitation of muscle contraction using electric impulses. EMS has received increasing attention in the last few years, because it has the potential to serve as: a strength training tool for healthy subjects and athletes; a rehabilitation and preventive tool for partially or totally immobilized patients; a testing tool for evaluating the neural and/or muscular function in vivo; a post-exercise recovery tool for athletes. The impulses are generated by a device and delivered through electrodes on the skin in direct proximity to the muscles to be stimulated. The impulses mimic the action potential coming from the central nervous system, causing the muscles to contract.
Ask Us About Electrical Muscle Stimulation Today!
DTS Therapy
DTS therapy is a gentle, non-surgical therapy that provides relief for lower back pain, sciatica pain, neck pain, a pinched nerve, bulging or degenerative disc disease, and lumbar pain. DTS therapy is used to decompress the spine to allow improved blood flow and nutrient exchange to the injured area. This occurs in a series of stretch and relaxation that takes only a number of minutes to reach its peak.
Sessions of DTS therapy are typically less than 20 minutes and take place three times a week for a period one month. Most patients feel relief after 6 treatments and are usually released after 8 weeks.
It is vital that patients of DTS therapy undergo a complete program that targets the function and stabilization of their muscles. This can include other therapies such as heat, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, and cold therapy. The goal of the entire process is not only to heal the disc, but to also enhance control of the back and neck as well as overall muscular control.
Over 75% of patients have found DTS therapy effective and usually experience long term results. Regular exercise at home and a continuation of periodic visits to your chiropractor will help ensure and maintain your spinal health as well as reduce the possibility of pain reoccurrence.