How Chiropractic Care Eases Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Osteoarthritis not only causes pain, but also makes it difficult to do a variety of everyday things. When your joints are stiff and achy, climbing stairs, buttoning your shirt, or getting in and out of the bathtub without falling become more challenging than you could ever have imagined. Adding chiropractic care to your osteoarthritis treatment plan can reduce both pain and stiffness.
8 Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Osteoarthritis
Struggling to manage your osteoarthritis symptoms? Give your chiropractor a call. He or she offers a variety of safe, effective treatments for arthritis symptoms. Chiropractic care can help you:
Need help dealing with your osteoarthritis pain? Give our office a call.
Sources:
Sleep Foundation: Sleep Deprivation, 3/18/2022
Arthritis Foundation: Chiropractic Care for Arthritis
WebMD: Chiropractic Care for Joint Problems: What to Know, 10/1/20
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapies, 2/2011
Family Doctor: Osteoarthritis, 1/2021
Not all pain is caused by obvious injuries like broken bones or cuts. Some pain may stem from the myofascial tissues. These tough membranes are wrapped around your muscles to provide support and connect them to other parts of the body.
When myofascial tissue becomes stiff, it may restrict movement in both the muscles and joints. This can lead to joint and muscle pain. During myofascial release, your chiropractor will locate and release areas of myofascial tissue that are stiff and tight.
Myofascial pain can be caused by trauma — such as a car accident — repetitive motions or muscle tension due to stress. In fact, people who are often stressed or anxious may be more likely to develop myofascial pain. This could be due to frequent clenching of the muscles.
The symptoms of myofascial pain include a deep ache or pain in the muscle, pain that continues or worsens, or a sensitive knot in the muscle. The source of the pain is stiffness in specific areas of myofascial tissue — known as “trigger points.” Normally, myofascial tissue is elastic and moves when light pressure is applied. Trigger points, though, feel tight and rigid.
Unlike pain caused by broken bones or cuts, myofascial pain can occur over a wider area of your body. Also, the trigger points may not be located near the area where you are experiencing the pain. This is called referred pain.
During a physical exam, your chiropractor will identify areas of myofascial tissue that are stiff and rigid. This is done by applying light finger pressure to the body, looking for tissue that does not feel elastic or move easily. Again, the trigger points may not be located near the source of your pain.
After identifying the trigger points, chiropractors can use myofascial release therapy to reduce the stiffness in the myofascial tissue. This technique involves stretching and applying manual pressure to areas of the myofascial tissue that are tight.
During the treatment, your chiropractor will carefully observe your body’s response in order to know how much and where to apply the pressure. Loosening up the myofascial tissue can allow the muscles to move more freely. This may reduce your pain symptoms.
Muscle pain can result from many different causes. If are experiencing pain, consult your chiropractor to help you determine your best treatment options.
Chiropractic Care May Help Your Headache Pain
Headaches are often dismissed as minor ailments that can be easily cured simply by popping a few over-the-counter pain relievers. Although pain medication may be helpful for occasional headaches, it's not always effective for chronic headache pain. Pain relievers can also cause liver or kidney damage and other serious side effects if you take too many of them. Fortunately, chiropractic care offers a drug-free treatment option.
What Kind of Headache Do You Have?
Chiropractors often treat patients who have these types of headaches:
How Do Chiropractors Treat Headaches?
Treatment options depend on the type of headache you have, but may include:
Your treatment plan might include a few other types of therapy, including ice and heat therapy, ultrasound treatment, or electrotherapy. Improving your posture and strengthening the muscles that support your head and neck may also be helpful. Your chiropractor can recommend exercises, make suggestions that will help you improve your posture, and provide advice about a healthy diet.
Is Chiropractic Treatment Effective?
In a case series published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine, researchers discussed the case of a 31-year-old patient whose migraines become chronic after two pregnancies. After chiropractic treatment, she experienced fewer migraines. During the 10th month, she reported no headaches during the entire month.
Another case study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care examined the case of a 44-year old woman who suffered from daily headaches that didn't respond to pain medication. During her treatment, spinal manipulation, ultrasound, and other therapies were used. After three months of treatment, her headache pain began to subside. The pain was completely eliminated by six months.
Are you tired of living with headache or migraine pain? We can help you control your symptoms naturally. Contact us to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
American Chiropractic Association: Headaches and Chiropractic
https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Headaches-and-Chiropractic
NCBI: Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care: Long-Term Relief from Tension-Type Headache and Major Depression Following Chiropractic Treatment, May/June 2018
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6069670/
Global Advances in Health and Medicine: Integrating Chiropractic Care into the Treatment of Migraine Headaches in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Case Series, 3/28/19
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2164956119835778
How to Extend the Effects of Your Chiropractic Adjustment
Depending on the things you do after your visit to the chiropractor, the effects of your treatment can last days or just a few hours. Fortunately, you can extend the positive effects of your adjustments by following a few simple guidelines.
Pay Attention to Your Posture
Poor posture can contribute to spinal misalignments, tight muscles and other uncomfortable symptoms. Although you may feel better after the adjustment, your results won't last very long if you slouch or spend hours hunched over your laptop or phone. When you use your phone or another digital device, hold it at eye level if possible. Constantly looking down at devices puts enormous strain on your neck and may even cause permanent damage to your spine if you don't change your habits.
Use Ergonomic Furniture
Slouching may be unavoidable if your chair and desk force your body into an uncomfortable position. Ergonomic chairs keep your spine properly aligned, support your lower back, and distribute your weight evenly. When they're combined with ergonomic desks and keyboards, you may be much less likely to experience aches and pains at the end of the day.
Standing desks offer another ergonomic option. Using a standing desk several times throughout the day can reduce pain in your upper back and neck and may improve your productivity. The desks are adjustable and move up and down to allow you to move easily from a seated to a standing position.
Take Regular Breaks
Improving your posture and using ergonomic furniture can help you keep your spine properly aligned, but pain may still be a problem if you spend long hours at your desk. Add frequent breaks to your daily schedule to prevent pain and discomfort. Take a short walk (even if it's only to the end of the hall) and do a few stretches before you return to your desk.
Avoid Awkward Movements or Lifting
Activities that involve awkward movements or require you to contort your body can cause aches and pains. Painting the ceiling or digging new posts for your fence the day after your treatment can reverse the results of your adjustment.
Poor lifting techniques can also ruin the effects of chiropractic adjustments. Don't be afraid to ask for help and use your knees and legs, rather than your back, when you lift.
Fill Your Water Bottle
Water helps your body get rid of toxins that are released after an adjustment. Increasing your water intake for a few days after your treatment can be very beneficial. Water improves joint lubrication, which may help keep your joints become more flexible. Upping your water intake can also help you avoid dehydration, a condition that can cause headaches, muscle weakness, dizziness, fatigue, and irritability.
Get a Little Exercise
Although you won't want to participate in strenuous activities soon after an adjustment, low-impact exercise will help keep your muscles loose and improve your range of motion. Walking, swimming, biking, yoga, Pilates and other forms of exercise will enhance your adjustment results.
Your chiropractor may have taught you a few exercises you can do at home to improve the strength and flexibility of your muscles. These exercises are an important part of your treatment plan and should be performed as often as your chiropractor recommends.
Don't Skimp on Sleep
Sleep plays a pivotal role in the healing process. While you're sleeping, your body repairs muscles and tissues and produces hormones that reduce inflammation. If you don't get seven to eight hours of sleep every night, you may be unwittingly sabotaging the effects of your chiropractic treatment.
Do you sleep on your back? This position may be a factor in your pain. The American Chiropractic Association notes that you put approximately 50 pounds of pressure on your back when you sleep on it.
Chiropractic adjustments offer a simple, natural way to control pain in your joints and muscles. Contact us if you're ready to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
CEO World Magazine: 7 Benefits of Ergonomic Office Chairs You Shouldn't Miss
https://ceoworld.biz/2019/03/18/7-benefits-of-ergonomic-office-chair-you-shouldnt-miss/
Spine-Health: Exercise and Chiropractic Therapy
https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/exercise-and-chiropractic-therapy
Chiropractic Treatment May Relieve Your Vertigo
It's hard to focus on anything when the room feels as if it's constantly spinning due to vertigo. The condition affects nearly 40 percent of us at some point in our lives, according to University of California San Francisco Health. If vertigo has disrupted your life, chiropractic treatment may offer the relief you desperately need.
When You Can't Get Off the Merry-Go-Round
Vertigo can make you feel as if you're on an amusement park ride that never ends. In addition to the spinning sensation, you may also experience dizziness, nausea, vomiting, difficulty walking and speaking, headaches, sweating, and jerky eye movements.
Medications can stop or reduce nausea and vomiting and help you feel less dizzy, but your symptoms may return if you stop taking the medication. Chiropractic treatment targets the source of your problem without the use of medication.
Common Causes of Vertigo
Vertigo can be caused by:
A Visit to the Chiropractor Can Improve Your Symptoms
Chiropractors offer several treatments that may relieve your vertigo. If you've injured your neck or head or have a spinal misalignment, a chiropractic adjustment may ease your symptoms. During the adjustment, your doctor uses his hands or a small instrument to gently realign your spine. If the joints in your neck don't move properly, your brain may misinterpret the information it receives from your body. Adjustments can improve movement in joints and reduce vertigo.
Results of a feasibility study published by the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine confirmed that spinal adjustments can be helpful in treating vertigo symptoms. After chiropractic treatment for 13 months, most subjects noticed improved balance. Less dizziness and neck pain were also reported.
You may benefit from the Epley maneuver if BPPV is the cause of your vertigo. The maneuver is designed to re-position the crystals in your inner ears. Your chiropractor moves your body through a series of quick position changes that take advantage of the effects of gravity to restore normal crystal position. You may also be taught a few exercises you can do at home that will reduce vertigo.
If your chiropractor believes that diet or stress may cause or contribute to your condition, he or she can offer healthy eating tips or recommend a few helpful stress-relief techniques and activities.
Do you suffer from vertigo? Chiropractic care offers a natural solution for your condition. Contact us to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Effects of Chiropractic Care on Dizziness, Neck Pain, and Balance: A Single-Group, Preexperimental, Feasibility Study, 12/09
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2786230/
Medical News Today: What’s to Know About the Epley Maneuver, 8/30/17
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319171.php
The 3 Most Frequently Asked Chiropractic Care Questions and The Answers to Them
Most people have a few questions when considering chiropractic care to naturally treat pain and injuries. If you've been wondering if chiropractic is a good option for you, you'll want to take a look at these commonly asked questions.
What Kinds of Conditions Do Chiropractors Treat?
Chiropractic treatment focuses on your muscles, vertebrae, joints, tendons, and ligaments. The treatment may be a good choice if you experience joint, muscle or nerve pain after a car accident, fall or another type of injury.
Accidents aren't the only cause of pain. Fortunately, your chiropractor can also treat back, neck or shoulder pain related to poor posture, overuse injuries, tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, and other conditions.
Pain and stiffness can occur when your spine becomes misaligned. Spinal misalignments cause your muscles and joints to become tight and stiff, and are responsible for pain and decreased range of motion. Misaligned vertebrae in your spine and tight muscles may also press on your nerves, triggering or increasing pain.
Chiropractic treatments are designed to improve the alignment of the spine, ease muscle tension and stiffness, relieve pressure on nerves, decrease inflammation, and improve range of motion and flexibility.
Chiropractic treatment can helpful for many conditions, including:
What Treatments Do Chiropractors Offer?
If you've ever seen a character on a TV show or movie receive chiropractic care, you may assume that spinal manipulations are the only treatments chiropractors offer. During spinal manipulation, your chiropractor uses quick, hands-on pressure to realign the small vertebrae in your spinal column. Many people refer to this as "cracking the neck," but the cracking sounds produced during manipulation are actually gas bubbles released from the joints.
Improving the alignment of the spine with spinal manipulation reduces inflammation, improves flexibility and range of motion, enhances blood flow and decreases pressure on the joints, nerves, muscles, and ligaments.
In 2017, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a systematic review of studies that evaluated the effectiveness of spinal manipulation in treating acute low back pain. The review noted that manipulation was associated with less pain and improved function six weeks after treatment.
Other studies have shown spinal manipulation and chiropractic treatments to be effective in treating whiplash, neck pain, plantar fasciitis, hip and knee osteoarthritis, migraines and other conditions.
In addition to spinal manipulation, your chiropractor may also offer these treatments:
Am I a Good Candidate for Chiropractic Treatment?
Chiropractic care is a safe, effective treatment option for most people. During your first visit, your chiropractor will perform a thorough examination, order X-rays or other diagnostic tests, and discuss your medical history and symptoms before recommending a treatment plan.
Although medication can temporarily dull your pain, your symptoms will return unless you address the cause. Chiropractic treatment treats the source of your pain, eliminating or reducing the need for pain killers or other medications. It's a good choice if you're experiencing sudden or chronic pain or have other symptoms, such as:
Chiropractic treatment can help relieve your symptoms naturally. Contact us if you're ready to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
Journal of the American Medical Association: Association of Spinal Manipulative Therapy with Clinical Benefit and Harm for Acute Low Back Pain, 4/11/17
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28399251
Spine Universe: What Disorders Do Chiropractors Treat?
https://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/chiropractic/what-disorders-do-chiropractors-treat
U.S. News & World Report: Surprise: Chiropractors Can Treat These 5 Conditions, 11/30/15
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Pregnancy may be one of the most joyous times of your life, but it's often accompanied by a few aches and pains. Chiropractic treatment improves your comfort during pregnancy and also offers a few other advantages.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help You
The position of your bones and organs shifts as your body accommodates your growing fetus. In addition to causing an aching back, pelvic pain, or sciatica, these changes can also make labor and delivery a little more difficult.
Thanks to chiropractic treatment, you may experience:
Regular chiropractic care during pregnancy offers important benefits for your health and comfort. Contact our office to schedule your appointment.
Sources:
American Pregnancy Association: Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Summer Activities That Can Lead to Back Pain
Now that it's summertime, many of us are catching up on yard work and enjoying outdoor activities. Unfortunately, back pain can be a consequence if you work or play too hard and don't follow a few simple back precautions. These activities are common causes of back pain.
Gardening and Yard Work
Weeding, mowing, planting, raking, and other lawn and garden tasks can take a toll on the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints in your back. Muscles in your back can be strained when you lift heavy bags of mulch or gravel, while stiffness and muscle spasms may be a consequence of sitting in the same position for hours when planting flowers and shrubs.
Following a few of these tips can help you avoid back pain:
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Road trips are a summer tradition for many American families. Unfortunately, spending hours sitting in a car (or plane or train) can cause back pain and stiffness. If your vehicle's seat isn't comfortable, use cushions that provide lumbar (low back) and neck support.
Make time in your schedule for frequent stops if you're traveling by car. If you're a passenger on a plane or train, get up from your seat and take a walk through the car or cabin every two hours. Walking not only helps you avoid back pain, but may also decrease your risk of a blood clot due to inactivity.
Golf, Tennis, and Other Sports or Outdoor Activities
Swinging a golf club, tennis racquet, or baseball bat can strain your back muscles and joints, particularly if your form is off or your posture is bad. According to the American Chiropractic Association, a force equal to 10 times your body weight is exerted on your spine during a golf swing. Playing these sports may also increase your risk of elbow and hip pain.
Working with a professional or coach can help you ensure that you're using the best form when you swing. If you don't have a pro or coach, you'll find plenty of information on stances, swings, and body mechanics in online videos.
Hiking or biking may also increase your risk of back pain or injuries. If you're a hiker, make sure you wear hiking shoes or boots that offer adequate support for your feet. You can also use a walking stick to improve your balance and reduce pressure on your back.
Spending hours in one position during a long bike ride may lead to back spasms and a reduced range of motion. Make sure your bike is the right size for your body. If you have to stretch to reach the handlebars or the seat is too high, you're more likely to strain your lower back.
Spectator Sports
You don't actually have to participate in a sport to suffer a sports-related injury. In fact, just watching the game can be a painful experience.
If your back hurts after spending a few hours at your child's sporting event, the seats may be to blame. Bleachers or uncomfortable seats can increase pressure on your lower back and trigger painful inflammation. If you'll be a frequent spectator this summer, avoid back pain by bringing a portable stadium seat with an attached back, and stand and stretch at regular intervals.
Chiropractic Care Helps You Avoid Summer Back Pain
Regular chiropractic treatments will keep your spine properly aligned and your muscles, ligaments, and tendons loose and flexible. Your visits may include several types of treatments, including massage, ice and cold therapy, transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS), traction, and spinal manipulation and mobilization.
Treatments are tailored to your specific sport or activity. For example, chiropractic treatments can correct postural imbalances that improve your golf swing and help you avoid back pain. Does your favorite sport involve running or jumping? Your chiropractor can create a treatment plan that helps reduce strain on your joints and muscles.
Are you tired of living with back pain? Scheduling regular chiropractic visits this summer offers a simple solution. Contact our office to make your appointment.
Sources:
Palmer College of Chiropractic: Sports Chiropractic
SPINE-Health: Chiropractic Treatment for Lower Back Pain
Do You Know How to Lower Your Risk of Painful Winter Injuries?
Becoming a couch potato isn't the only way to prevent aches and pains this winter. Making a few changes to your usual routine will reduce your risk of injury when participating in these winter activities.
Winter Sports
Skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and ice hockey can take a toll on your body, particularly if you only hit the slopes or the rink occasionally. Falls and collisions can cause fractures, dislocations, and cuts, but those aren't the only injuries you need to worry about. Back and neck pain, sprains, strains, spinal misalignments, and muscle spasms can happen even if a fall seems fairly minor.
How to Avoid Injuries: The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) recommends warming up with squats, lunges, and jumping jacks before you venture outside. Warming up improves flexibility, which can help you avoid ending the day with a heating pad on your back. Snow tubing, sledding, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing can be good choices if you prefer activities that are a little easier on the body.
Shoveling Snow
Snow may look light and fluffy, but the white stuff can be surprisingly heavy. In fact, each shovelful may weigh several pounds. The wetter the snow, the heavier the load. If weight lifting isn't part of your usual workout routine, you may be more likely to experience muscle or joint pain. Twisting when you shovel can also strain muscles and joints and cause lower back pain.
How to Avoid Injuries: Follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advice and use a shovel with a longer shaft that allows you to keep your back straight. The CDC also notes that you can avoid twisting your body if you step in the direction that you're throwing snow. Of course, if you experience chest pain or shortness of breath while shoveling, call 911 immediately.
Holiday Decorating
Putting up sparkling lights and other decorations is part of the fun of the holiday season. Unfortunately, the holidays won't be quite as enjoyable if you fall off a ladder. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 200 decorating injuries happen every day during the holidays. Many of them involve falls.
How to Avoid Injuries: Use caution when standing on ladders to string lights or add decorations to your roof. Don't stand on the top rung, ask someone to hold the ladder, and don't reach too far when you're on the ladder. Keep three of your four limbs on the ladder at all times to avoid losing your balance.
Walking
Even walking can become a risky activity during the winter. Patches of ice and puddles from melting snow make it easy to slip and fall.
How to Avoid Injuries: Wear shoes or boots with non-slip soles to improve traction. Add cleats around your boots if you'll be hiking or walking in potentially slippery conditions. Use salt or ice melt to reduce icy spots on stairs, porches, driveways, and sidewalks. If you run for exercise, schedule your runs for the middle of the day when temperatures are higher, or work out on a treadmill instead.
Family Time
Does your family enjoy playing board games or building puzzles on cold winter evenings? Unfortunately, these activities can also lead to aches and pains after a few hours. Remaining in one position for too long can cause muscle fatigue and strain your spine, muscles, and ligaments.
How to Avoid Injuries: Take frequent breaks and pay attention to your posture to prevent injuries. When you sit, keep your knees at the same level as your hips or lower, while keeping your forearms parallel to the ground. The ACA recommends choosing a chair that adequately supports your back and using a footrest if your feet don't touch the ground.
If you do experience injuries, aches, or pains, give us a call. Chiropractic treatment can relieve your pain naturally and help you recover from injuries more quickly. We offer a variety of helpful treatments, including spinal manipulation and mobilization, massage, soft tissue mobilization, and more. Contact our office to schedule an appointment.
Sources:
Newswise: Chiropractors Stress Injury Prevention by Warming Up Prior to Winter Activities, 2/3/17
How to Celebrate National Chiropractic Health Month
National Chiropractic Health Month in October is the perfect time to reflect on the way chiropractic care improves your life. Not sure how to observe this important month? Try a few of these suggestions.
Keep Moving
Stiff joints and tight muscles are more likely to be a problem if you don't get enough exercise or spend too much time sitting. Fortunately, increasing your activity level is a simple way to avoid pain and stiffness. In fact, movement is so important that the American Chiropractic Association has made "Keep Moving" its theme for this year's National Chiropractic Health Month.
Synovial fluid surrounding your joints decreases friction when you move a joint, helping it move easily. The more you move, the more fluid circulates around your joints. Movement also helps nutrients reach your joints and muscles, reduces muscle stiffness and spasms, and makes it easier for your body to remove old, damaged cells from your joints.
Regular exercise keeps your bones strong and strengthens the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support your joints. Although exercising in the gym is an excellent way to increase your activity level, you don't need to participate in a formal workout program to enjoy the benefits of moving more. Walking, riding your bike, dancing, and gardening will keep your joints limber and strong.
Use Proper Lifting Techniques
According to the National Safety Council, the way you lift boxes and other heavy objects may increase your risk of a back injury, the second most common workplace injury. Poor lifting techniques stress the joints and muscles in your back, causing mild to severe pain.
Prevent lifting injuries by following these steps when lifting:
Even if you follow safe lifting techniques, you can still hurt your back if you lift something too heavy. Pick up a corner of the box or object first if you're unsure of the weight. If the object feels very heavy, ask for help.
Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle
Eating healthy foods lowers your risk of developing serious conditions ranging from heart disease to diabetes and also helps you avoid joint issues. Making smart food choices ensures that your joints receive the nutrients needed to function efficiently and may help you heal faster if you do experience an injury.
Limit the amount of fried, fatty, or processed foods you eat and add whole grains, lean meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats to your diet. Giving up smoking or heavy drinking will also help you protect your joints.
See Your Chiropractor
Visiting the chiropractor when you first notice pain, muscle spasms, or reduced range of motion can help you feel better faster. Your chiropractor offers many treatments designed to ease pain and mobility, including:
Scheduling periodic visits to the chiropractor will help you maintain good joint and muscle health and avoid injuries.
Falls, poor posture, stress, and improper lifting techniques can cause the vertebrae in your spine to become misaligned. Misalignments, which chiropractors call "subluxations," not only cause pain but can tighten muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Subluxations may also increase your risk of injury when you participate in sports. Spinal manipulation, one of the treatments provided by your chiropractor, offers a simple, painless way to realign your spine.
Are you ready to take advantage of the many benefits of chiropractic treatment? Contact our office to schedule a visit with the chiropractor.
Sources:
