Saturday, January 2, 2010

Chiropractic Information


Many people ask "Will chiropractic therapy really help with my problem?"

The answer is not always yes. But before you go out to your local pharmacy and start loading your body and brain with drugs read this. Many people find healing in chiropractic therapy. So many, in fact, that it is quickly becoming a booming industry in comparison to mainstream western medicine. A combination of massage therapy and chiropractic therapy can be healing and restorative for many conditions, especially those conditions caused by the wear and tear of life, car accidents or other serious injuries.


Chiropractic Medicine is a health care profession dedicated to the non-surgical treatment of disorders of the nervous system and/or musculoskeletal system, generally through chiropractors maintaining a unique focus on spinal manipulation and treatment of surrounding structures.

Chiropractic treatments typically focus on, but are not limited to, care of:

  • Mid and lower back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Joint pain in the arms and legs
  • Headaches




Back pain: Will chiropractic treatment help?
Back pain — How well does chiropractic care stack up against more conventional treatments?
By Mayo Clinic staff

For many people, low back pain follows a fairly predictable course. Nagging back pain lasts a few weeks — maybe letting up temporarily when you take a pain reliever — and then it goes away.

So where does chiropractic care fit into the picture? That's up to you to decide.
What the research says

Clinical trials indicate that chiropractic care is as safe and effective as conventional treatments — which may include pain medication, rest or exercise. But that may not be saying much. Low back pain typically improves within a matter of weeks, even for people who seek no treatment at all.

Low back pain is often caused by injuries or strains, and there's no magic cure. It simply takes time for your back to heal. But treatment of some type — either chiropractic or conventional — might make you more comfortable as you wait for this healing to occur.
What does a chiropractor do?

Chiropractic treatment is based on the concept that restricted movement in the spine may lead to pain and reduced function. Spinal adjustment (manipulation) is one form of therapy chiropractors use to treat restricted spinal mobility. The goal is to restore spinal movement and, as a result, improve function and decrease back pain.

During an adjustment, chiropractors use their hands to apply a controlled, sudden force to a joint — pushing it beyond its normal range of motion. The joint's movement may be accompanied by a popping or cracking sound.

Chiropractors may also use massage and stretching to relax muscles that are shortened or in spasm. Many use additional treatments as well, such as ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation and exercises.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Pro athletes benefit from chiropractic care

Many American Pro athletes look at getting a Chiropractor's help in coping with the rigorous physical demands of their various sports. Professional golfers have access to Chiropractors during their tournaments, and many Pro football players are known to take Chiropractic assistance after strenuous games. Baseball teams have also started giving their players the much needed Chiropractic help.

In the previous year, baseball teams like the Boston Red Sox (World champions) and the Philadelphia Phillies have employed the services of Chiropractors to help their players perform well and remain in top notch condition. Clubs in the major league have to play 162 games as part of the schedule, and this includes a fair amount of travelling as well. Typical baseball seasons begin in late Feb and go on till early Oct. Teams looking at Playoffs or the World series have to push till late Oct.

The players of the Boston Red Sox can be seen with their Chiropractor, Michael Weinman, D.C, for 3 to 4 hours before they start their home games. He says that players can stay away from bothersome injuries and also perform at optimum levels when their muscles, joints, as well as nerves, are all in top condition. He also says that adjustments made by a Chiropractor can also better one's overall physical health and thereby result in excellent performances.

Injuries that are common in baseball players include mid & low back injury, neck injury, rotator-cuff injury, and also hamstring injury. Hamstring related problems normally start because of players having to suddenly leap into action fast from a standing position while making their plays.

Most of Dr. Weinman's work involves helping thwart inflammations, breaking up adhesions, and adjusting various joints to enhance mobility. He, along with his trainers, physical therapists, and massage therapists look to have had a good effect on the team, as they won against the Colorado Rookies in four straight games, to win the World Series.

The Phillies are now to have a Chiropractors network in all the cities where they are scheduled to play their games (home and away). The first player in the team who requested the presence of Chiropractors was the pitcher, Cole Hammels. He is of the opinion that he missed out on games in 2007 (being on the disabled list) because he did not get Chiropractic assistance for his elbow strain.

Hamels also said that he was very happy with the knowledge that the team was making efforts to ensure that they get Chiropractic assistance while they are paying in different cities. Other players in the team are also likely to take the assistance of the Chiropractors in coping with the adjusting extremities. He added that owing to consulting a Chiropractor he has surely benefited, and that it was great that the team was going out of their way to provide the players with this assistance. According to Hamels, the team could very well get to be a 20 game winner in this season, thanks to the Chiropractic services that are now available to all the players of the team.

Chiropractor - The Benefits of Going to One

Chiropractic therapy is a type of medical treatment that focuses on the structure of the body. Patients experiencing chronic pain may go to a chiropractor and undergo treatment.

Chiropractic therapy oftentimes focuses on the spine, which is why it is a good treatment for any back pain. However, chiropractic therapy is also a good treatment for chronic pain to the ligaments, tendons and muscles. Going to a chiropractor to be treated for any pain, whether it is chronic or acute, has many benefits.

What is a chiropractor?

A chiropractor is especially educated on treating the joints and muscles of the body with their hands and avoiding assistance from any machines. A chiropractor can also perform massages just like a massage therapist.

However, a massage therapist is not trained to adjust the spine and other joints in the body. Although a chiropractor cannot prescribe medicine, they can make a medical diagnosis while a massage therapist cannot.

Treatment of misalignments

Every joint of a human’s body has nerve arteries and veins that form a neurovascular bundle, and if a person’s muscles or joints are out of alignment, this will disturb the bundle, sending a message to the brain about the pain, whether it is a chronic or acute pain.
A chiropractor can treat these types of pain or disorders such as disc, back pain, whiplash, and shoulder pain, to name a few.

A chiropractor uses many techniques

There are many techniques that a chiropractor uses to treat different kinds of pain. Unknown to people outside of the medical field, there are different types of pain. Acute pain often has reversible causes and may only require the correction of the underlying problem. This type of pain may result from trauma.

Chronic pain, the other type, often results from a condition that is difficult to diagnose and treat. Oftentimes, chronic pain takes time to reverse or to treat. Other symptoms or conditions may also result in chronic pain.

Depending on the type of pain as well as the necessary treatment needed, a chiropractor can manipulate the joints to align them or do some simple stretching and massage techniques.

Part of pain management

A chiropractor, whether living in zip code 33634 or anywhere in Florida, applies pain management in their therapy or treatment sessions. Pain management is actually multi-disciplinary in nature, applying a comprehensive program to achieve absolute and sustained pain relief. In layman’s terms, pain management is the medical discipline that focuses on the relief of pain.
Pain management essentially uses three approaches – pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic and psychological measures. Pharmacological measures deal with the intake of pain relievers or modifiers while non-pharmacological does not require the usage of medications.
It is in this part that chiropractic therapy comes in. By going to chiropractic therapy, a patient is assured that a methodical approach is used to relieve pain, whether it is back pain or a simple whiplash. One must remember that pain management involves many fields of medicine aside from a chiropractor.

Can apply massage therapy as treatment

A chiropractor can not only relieve chronic pain brought about by a number of reasons but they are also able to use massage therapy as a form of treatment. A patient experiencing back pain, shoulder pain or a disc may go to a chiropractor to have their joints aligned and at the same time have a massage therapy
as part of their treatment.
Also, a patient going for a simple massage therapy is guaranteed that the appropriate medical technique as well as treatment will be provided by a chiropractor, unlike going to a regular massage therapist.

How to Choose the Right Chiropractor for You!

So, you’ve heard of Chiropractic, and now you are thinking of actually going to see what they actually do. There are many misconceptions flying around about Chiropractic in general, so sometimes it can be hard to find reliable information about the subject. Part of the reason this is so difficult is that each Chiropractor practices the healing art a little bit differently. If you are going to trust a Doctor of Chiropractic with your health, then we strongly recommend that you consider the following things first:
1) What are others saying? This is quite possibly the most important factor in making your decision. Many of the other factors we include don’t really mean much if everyone that goes to this doctor is having a horrible experience. Many Chiropractors have testimonials on their website about their services, but these should all be taken worth a grain of salt. Do you really think he/she would include a negative comment on their website? This is why we are providing our Chiropractic Directory . Our goal is not to post negative information about individual practitioners, but to facilitate unbiased feedback about each Chiropractor. Our directory allows patients to come and rate their experience with a Chiropractor. We strongly recommend you research Chiropractors in your city before visiting their office, and when you do, tell them you read good things about them on ChiroHub.
2) Specialty - There are many certifications and Diplomate programs available to Chiropractors. These often appear as additional initials after the doctor’s name. For example, John Doe, DC DACBR would have a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree, as well as a Diplomate of the American Board of Radiology. This helps you determine if the doctor specializes in any particular kind of care, diagnosis, or technique. If you don’t see additional initials, that doesn’t mean that doctor doesn’t have additional training or specialties. In fact, almost all states require that licensed Chiropractors in their state attain a certain number of continuing education credits each year. Most people don’t realize that Chiropractors can specialize in many things – sports medicine, motor vehicle injuries, neurology, radiology (interpreting x-rays), nutrition, pediatrics, and much more. The best way to find out if a chiropractor specializes in anything in particular is to pick up the phone and call his/her office. You can also visit this page for a current list of Chiropractic Diplomate Programs.
3) Location, Location, Location - Hopefully the Chiropractor already made this an easy decision for you by being located in a convenient area, but this is definitely an important consideration. If you benefit from your visit to the Chiropractor, you will likely want to return, so consider finding someone that is close by, or is conveniently located along one of your regular routes. You also might want to consider the parking availability or traffic volume of the office you are going to visit. If you are in a larger city, then we also recommend checking public transportation routes.
4) Facilities - There are many things to consider about the facilities of a Chiropractor’s office, but this should probably be low on your list of priorities, since the profession is one of manual medicine. This means that the most important tool in the office is typically the hands of the Chiropractor. Keeping this in mind, some people are also interested in ancillary modalities -electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, cold laser, adjusting instruments, soft tissue tools, etc... As a matter of convenience and comfort, you may also want to consider the following: Do they have an X-ray machine for fast results when an x-ray is needed? Is the place clean and free of allergens? Do they have facilities for rehabilitation of sports or work injuries? These are all good questions to ask before your visit.
5) Opinion - That’s right, opinion matters. Every health practitioner has his/her own opinion about how to handle your health and wellness. Some Chiropractors may only want to discuss the use of chiropractic adjustments, while others will eagerly pursue topics of nutrition, posture, balance, exercise, meditation, and more. Do you want to visit a chiropractor that will refer you out to a medical doctor for surgery or medication, when appropriate, or do you prefer a strictly conservative care approach? We aren’t going to tell you which is best, but we do think that you would be wise to find a Chiropractor that has a similar outlook on overall health and wellness as you and your family. We would also advise you to be open minded as you approach this, since you could easily form new opinions by listening to an experienced chiropractic clinician. They may open up your mind to things you never thought were possible.
ChiroHub would like to wish you luck on your journey towards optimum health. We are confident that your experience with Chiropractic will be positive, and we hope that you will come share your thoughts with other users on ChiroHub once you have taken the time to visit a Chiropractor in your area.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Fredericksburg Chiropractor

I recently learned of a Spine Injury center in Fredericksburg VA that is producing incredible results in healing spinal compression and herniated discs.

more to come

Portland Chiropractic Services

There are a lot of options when it comes to Chiropractors in Portland, Oregon. Here are the top 5 Portland Chiropractors.

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