What We Treat at Imperium Chiropractic

Headaches and Chiropractic

There are various classifications of headaches and many sources from which headaches occur. Headaches are not normal, but the good news is that chiropractic care can help with them ALL!

The term “headaches” can be broken down into migraines, tension headaches, and cluster headaches. Migraines can be accompanied by auras (visual, verbal, motor, or sensory precursors), nausea, vomiting, and sensitivities to light and sound. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. Symptoms of tension headaches include pain at the base of the head, neck pain, or pain around the eyes. Cluster headaches are groups of headaches that are short lived but are very intense. They are similar to migraines but they affect men more than women and more commonly occur at night. The pain associated with cluster headaches can be described as shooting, burning, or stabbing.

The chiropractic approach to treating headaches is multifaceted. The suboccipital muscles attach to the base of the skull and connect to the first and second vertebrae. If these vertebrae are subluxated, they can create tension in the cervical musculature. Other things can create tension as well-physical, mental, and environmental stress. Adjustments can correct the subluxations and relieve the tension in the neck. Ice, trigger point, ultrasound, and electric stimulation can assist in relieving muscle tension.

Jaw disfunction (TMJ) can affect headaches. The jaw has surrounding musculature that attaches to the skull. The jaw is also a joint and therefore can be adjusted. Chiropractors can narrow down headache triggers such as food, chemicals, hormones, lifestyle factors, allergies, eye and dental issues, and assist in determining the proper treatment route. Prescription and over the counter medications can also impact headaches.

Chiropractic sets your child up for a healthy immune system from the beginning. The birth process is physically taxing on not only mom, but baby, too.

Babies and children are newer to the world than adults and their muscles have not yet adapted to the stressors of life allowing them to respond quickly to gentle adjustments. Conditions that could be resolved by chiropractic adjustments include nursing issues, colic, ear infections, torticollis, excessive crying, and trouble sleeping.

Most people begin to see chiropractors for pain relief, but chiropractic has a deeper objective. Nerves branch off of our spinal cord and lead on to supply to our muscles, organs, and glands. If these nerves are being affected by subluxations due to stressors, we can have issues with our muscles, organs, and glands.

Babies can have digestive issues such as colic due to subluxations that affect the nerves in the low back region. Ear infections can be related to subluxations in their upper neck. Nursing can also be affected by the cervical region being out of alignment; babies won’t be able to turn towards their food source due to pain. Torticollis, or wry neck occurs after birth and can be related to the birthing process. Torticollis can affect older children; usually due to sleeping positions. Adjustments can correct the rotation of the neck and stretches given by your chiropractor can help relax the surrounding musculature.

Other methods that chiropractors can use to help babies include Iliothecal valve release (relieves constipation) and massage.

Important milestones of development can be monitored by your chiropractor. The only curve that we are born with is the midback or thoracic curve-imagine how babies are positioned in their mother’s womb. The cervical curve is developed by encouraging ‘tummy time’-allowing baby to hold his or her head up alone. The last curve to develop is the lumbar curve, which forms after your baby starts to crawl and walk.

FAQs

How safe is chiropractic care during pregnancy?

Neck pain affects every aspect of your daily living tasks. There are multiple reasons you could be experiencing neck pain.

Injuries such as sprains and strains due to falls, accidents, and traumas can irritate and inflame nerves and soft tissues in the cervical region. Insults to the soft tissues can lead to subluxations causing neck pain. Arthritis is the body’s version of wear and tear which can restrict joint range of motion and stiff muscles. Nerve irritation is caused by hypertonic (tight) muscles, arthritis, or injury and can lead to numbness or weakness in the arms, hands, and fingers. Postural changes affect our spine and muscles over time.

A thorough health history, orthopedic/neurologic examination, and x-rays will aid in determining the source of neck pain and appropriate treatment plan.

Chiropractors have access to modalities such as ultrasound, ice, heat, and electric stimulation and can instruct you on stretches and exercises that will be beneficial in your body’s ability to heal.

It’s no fun sitting on the sidelines watching your teammates play. Whether injuries are overuse injuries, accidental injuries, or injuries due to aggressive play, chiropractic care can help your body heal to return to play.

The most common injuries are sprains and strains. Muscles are pushed past the point of their normal stretch and small or large tears occur. Chiropractic care is great for preventing injuries by keeping the joints mobile and muscles firing properly, but it is also beneficial post injury to decrease inflammation, encourage proper range of motion, and to strengthen the soft tissues during the healing process. Tendonitis and shin splints are types of overuse injuries. Controlling inflammation and irritation is key during the first stage of healing.

Strengthening and normal range of motion are more important in the later stages. Chiropractic care can assist athletes in returning to their sporting activities in a short amount of time through limiting inflammation with range of motion exercises and therapies such as ultrasound and electric stimulation, decreasing irritation and friction with taping techniques, and ultimately strengthening exercises to decrease the change of re-injury. Chiropractors assist in healing after concussions as well.

Nutrition is very important while concussions are healing and chiropractors can discuss supplements and dietary advice to aid in healing the nervous system. Chiropractors also have access to braces and other supports to protect the area while it is still healing.

Proper footwear is essential in sports (and everyday life). Our feet provide the foundation for our spine. Doctors of chiropractic can make suggestions on footwear and assess arches in the feet. Chiropractors often have access to arch supports and custom-made orthotics.

Chiropractors work in unison with athletic trainers, orthopedists, physical therapists, coaches, and athletes to allow the injured athlete to express their full potential.

Sciatica is a pain in the buttocks, literally.

Sciatica is a form of low back pain combined with a nerve irritation. Pain from the sciatic nerve being irritated radiates down the buttock and into the back of the thigh. Rarely does the pain go below the knee. The sciatic nerve can be irritated by arthritis, hypertonic muscles, or postural alteration in the spine. Individuals with sciatica might have troubles sitting or riding in the car.

Chiropractic care works to decrease the pressure being put on the sciatic nerve through adjustments and soft tissue treatment. There are five nerves that stem from our low back to form the sciatic nerve. These five nerves: L4, L5, S1, S2, and S3 originate from our lumbar spine and sacrum, so either region can be subluxated and affecting the sciatic nerve. Different leg lengths stress our pelvis, sacrum, and low back and can impact the sciatic nerve.

Chiropractors can take x-rays to determine a leg length discrepancy and degenerative and postural alterations in the skeletal system. Long term chiropractic care can set the premises to restore proper curves in the spine. Nerves heal slowly at 2mm per day, so consistent care is very important in the initial stages of healing. As pain and radicular symptoms decrease, treatment frequency decreases and the focus is placed more on exercises to strengthen the low back to decrease the change of re-injury.

Wellness care is taking care of the body so that it doesn’t get sick or injured. It is a cost and time effective way to manage your health and well-being. Chiropractic care is designed to keep you well!

In traditional western medicine, the perception is that once you are already sick, you make an appointment with a medical doctor. The chiropractic model utilizes the body’s ability to HEAL ITSELF. Chiropractors work with a combination of diet, exercise, and maintenance of the nervous system to keep you healthy. We look at the cause of the problem and not the management of symptoms through chemical alterations of your body.

Routine chiropractic care is known as wellness care and it decreases the use of pharmaceuticals, surgery, and improves your overall body function. Adjustments decrease nerve interference and maintain mobility of the joints, and boosts your immune system. Healing occurs from the brain down all the way down the spinal cord and finally on to the spinal nerves that supply our muscles, organs, and glands. Our bodies have the ability to heal themselves from the inside out, and chiropractic allows our bodies to do so.

Back pain can vary from dull achiness to sharp debilitating pain. It can be in any part of the midback or low back and it can arise from years of wear and tear or from a specific injury.

Back pain is the leading cause of disability in people under the age of 50. It affects almost everyone at some point in their lifetime. It’s sources range from a sprain/strain of the lumbar musculature, arthritis, organ disfunction, disc disease, or subluxation of the spine. The 24 moveable vertebrae of the spine give us the flexibility but can also be a source of instability.

Chiropractors are trained to identify areas of disfunction in the spine (subluxations) and are able to treat and maintain the structural stability of your spinal column. Pain is the symptom; we can identify the cause of pain with an evaluation that includes a thorough health history, orthopedic and neurologic examination, and x-rays. Chiropractic treatment options for low back pain include adjustments, therapies/modalities, stretches, and exercises.