Chiropractic Articles

Foot orthoses are a specially fitted insert or footbed that you insert into your shoe. Also commonly referred to as “orthotics” these orthoses provide support for the foot by distributing pressure or realigning foot joints while standing, walking or running. A great body of information exists within the podiatry and pedorthotic community describing the sciences that might be used to aid people with foot problems as well as the impact “orthotics” can have on knee, hip, and spine conditions. As such they are often used by athletes to relieve symptoms of a variety of inflammatory conditions that affect soft tissue such as plantar fasciitis. They may also be used in conjunction with properly fitted orthopedic footwear in the prevention of foot ulcers in the at-risk diabetic foot.

Cryotherapy is an excellent way to reduce inflammation and temporary pain. Ice causes constriction in the veins of the affected tissue, limiting blood flow and acting as an anesthetic. Once the cold compressor is removed, blood will rush back to the affected area providing nutrients that will help with the healing process. 

Cryotherapy is often used in the treatment of back and neck pain. It lessens the severity of muscle spasms, reduces pain by causing numbness, and aids in lessening soft tissue damage.

Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud’s Syndrome, colds or allergic conditions, paralysis, or areas of impaired sensation should not use cryotherapy.

Geriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine focused on the prevention and treatment of disease and disabilities in elder adults. It is the decision of the individual or a specialist whether or not they feel the need to receive geriatric treatment. There is no set recommended age for an individual to begin geriatrics.  

The major categories of impairment that appear in elderly people are referred to as the Geriatric Giants. These impairments include: 

• immobility
• instability
• incontinence
• impaired intellect/memory.
• impaired vision
• hearing loss

Hearing problems can lead to social isolation, depression, and dependence as the person can no longer talk to other people, receive information over the telephone, or engage in simple transactions such as talking to a person at a bank or store. Vision problems lead to falls from tripping over unseen objects and misreading vital instructions such as medicine labels or financial documental.

Yoga possesses a variety of different styles that address numerous health and fitness needs for different lifestyles. Increased flexibility, strength, endurance and balance are all benefits from practicing yoga that will help both athletes and less active people add a larger variety of movement to themselves throughout the day. Yoga promotes regular exercise and unprocessed foods to emphasize their approach to wellness. Yoga also utilized deep breathing to calm the nerves, oxygenate body tissues, relieve anxiety, and strengthen the lungs and diaphragm.

Chiropractic adjustments enhance neurological function by aligning the spine with its related structures through subluxations. Yoga helps strengthen the supporting muscles through a series of poses designed to improve strength and posture.

The practice of yoga also focuses on the present moment and limiting activity of the mind, which lowers blood pressure and aids in handling stress. Yoga has helped countless people overcome stress anxiety and develop accurate self-awareness It helps bring awareness to negative thoughts, allowing the creation of positive habits which will lead to improve health while gaining better control of the mind.

Each pause in breathing is called an apnea. Sleep apnea is sleeping disorder that consists of pauses in an apnea can last anywhere from ten seconds to several minutes. In sufferers of sleep apnea, this can occur 5 to 30 times per hour or more, causing shallow and/or infrequent breathing during sleep.

There are three forms of sleep apnea: central (CSA), obstructive (OSA), and complex or mixed sleep apnea. In CSA, the disorder is characterized by lack of respiratory effort, in OSA breathing is interrupted by a physical blocking of airflow despite respiratory effort. Suffers of the condition may start to experience sleepiness or fatigue due to their symptoms and level of sleep disturbance. Both adults and children can suffer from sleep apnea

When a patient visits their chiropractor due to a work injury, the chiropractor routinely looks beyond the actual injury and addresses concern towards their station setup, whether they use ergonomically correct equipment, and whether they utilize proper work techniques. The goal is both to help relieve your pain and determine how to avoid what caused it in the first place. Work injuries can occur in a variety of different work environments including construction sites, offices, warehouses, and retail stores. Much of the time, the causes of pain in the workplace include:

• Falls caused by Overexertion
• Improper lifting
• Repetitive strain
• Blunt force trauma
• Exposure to Chemicals
• Burns

Most workplace injuries are the result of soft tissue and joint damage. Improper lifting techniques are one of the most common reasons for the occurrences of pain in the workplace. You may consider visiting a chiropractor if you are experiencing any of the following pains due to your workplace injuries or otherwise:

• Back injuries (sprains, strains, disc problems)
• Neck injuries (sprains, strains, joint dysfunction)
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Headache (caused by muscle tension, joint dysfunction, or poor posture)
• Numbness and tingling of extremities. 

The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique is a chiropractic treatment method and device created by Arlan Fuhr as an alternative to manual manipulation of the spine or extremity joints. The device is categorized as a mechanical force manual assisted (MFMA) instrument which is generally regarded as a softer chiropractic treatment technique. 

The activator is a small handheld spring-loaded instrument which delivers a small impulse to the spine. It was found to give off no more than 0.3 J of kinetic energy in a 3-millisecond pulse. The goal of this method and use of the activator is to produce enough force to move the vertebrae but not enough to cause injury.

Read More

The Thompson Technique utilizes the “Segmental Drop System” in which patients lay on a “Segmental Drop Table” which has a headpiece that drops as the chiropractor adjusts the vertebrae. This design takes advantage of the natural structure of the joints in the spine by allowing the chiropractor to move the spinal segment in which ever direction it is needed to improve its motion with the joints above and below it. the technique is performed with the patient lying face down on the table and adjustments performed from posterior to anterior.

Nutritional therapy is holistic in nature. This means that it is meant to treat the whole rather than the individual parts. Medicine often only treats the symptoms of a problem rather curing the cause of the problem. Nutritional therapy is designed to cure the cause of the problem. By combining science (biochemistry and nutrition) with naturopathy (natural, drug-free medicine), Nutritional therapy seeks to return each patient to a state of optimal health.

Therapeutic modalities are used to treat athletic injuries. Various ways in which they treat pain are by decreasing pain, decreasing swelling, reducing inflammation, and decreasing muscle spasms. One must also be provided with a proper environment where the healing process can take place to its highest degree.

Therapeutic modalities can be divided into four general categories:

• cryotherapy (cold)
• thermotherapy (heat) 
• electrotherapy
• mechanical modalities