Common
Conditions and Treatment Options
Sports | Children | Accidents | Pregnancy | Scoliosis
Sports
Sports
and chiropractic have a long history together. There have
been numerous studies on the benefits of chiropractic adjustments
and how it relates to a better performance on the field.
Adjustments
improve reaction times, better eye-hand coordination, smaller
blind spots, and of course better ranges of motion (which
means more speed).
But
the most important of them all is: if the spine is sitting
in proper alignment, there is less likely a chance of getting
hurt.
Athletes
who use Chiropractic:
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Emmitt Smith
Joe Montana
Lance Armstrong
Bruce Jenner
John Stockton
Brett Butler
Rocky Marciano
Franco Columbo
Ryne Sandberg
Robert Parish
John McEnroe
And many more!!
Children
Parents, your children are not immune to vertebral subluxation.
I'm sure you would agree that children are harder on their
bodies than adults. Many children receive their first vertebral
subluxation during the birthing process.
Children tumble and fall all day long and they suffer from
emotional and chemical stresses that are placed on their
nervous system. The nervous system maintains and controls
all functions of the body, so it makes sense to keep your
child's nervous system as healthy as possible.
Adjustments given to children are safe and gentle and different
from those given to adults. In fact, children feel just
as good as you do after an adjustment. So, it's no wonder
they enjoy coming to see this doctor. Chiropractic care
ensures the best of health and well being for all ages.
Accidents
Any automobile accident, major or minor can have a great
influence on the integrity and the structure of the spinal
column. The first order of business after an automobile
accident is controlling those life-threatening situations
such as hemorrhages, breathing difficulties, broken bones,
etc. These and other medical emergencies are specialties
of emergency medicine.
Whiplash
is a modern and a serious injury to the neck and spine caused
by the sudden violent snapping forward of the head and neck
then followed by a backward whipping type motion of the
head. This impact puts tremendous strain on the neck resulting
in torn muscles and stretched ligaments and spinal damage.
The force of an impact during an automobile accident, even
if safely buckled in, can be transmitted from the automobile
and absorbed by the spine of the occupants, causing spinal
subluxations.
These
spinal misalignments may take months or even years to surface.
By then you may not even associate the neck stiffness, persistent
headaches, dizziness, burning between the shoulder blades,
numbness or tingling sensations in the hands or the reduced
ability to turn or bend your neck, with the real cause,
that fender bender which has long been fixed.
Spinal
misalignments that are created in the spine during an accident
often remain in the body and prevent you from healing properly.
This is another reason why so many people say that "they
just haven't felt right since the accident," and also
why they may continue not to feel right for months or even
years after an automobile accident. Approximately 85% of
all disorders involving the neck have been the result of
automobile accidents. Whiplash can also occur with other
traumatic events such as roller-coaster rides or wrestling
around. If left untreated the condition will only worsen.
If you
or anyone you know has been in an automobile accident, even
if there's no obvious symptoms right away, they should be
examined by a qualified Chiropractic physician. The damage
from spinal misalignments may take months or even years
to surface and an examination today could save an automobile
accident victim from much pain and illness later in life.
Chiropractic
care can be the difference between true recovery, healing
and strength or lingering pain, sickness and disability.
Pregnancy
Chiropractic
if you are pregnant?
Absolutely!
Keeping your spine free from the vertebral subluxation complex
is one of the best things you can do if you are pregnant.
If there's one group of people who need chiropractic spinal
checkups more than any other, it's pregnant women. Pregnant
women are taking more responsibility for their bodies: reading
more, asking more questions, eating better, exercising more
and exploring ways of optimizing health. Chiropractic care
should be considered an essential part of the pregnant woman's
health care regimen.
All
this is extremely important for the pregnant woman who needs
to have her body as healthy and strong as possible in order
to handle the rigors of pregnancy and childbirth. Chiropractic
care will help ensure that the reproductive and other systems
so essential for a healthy pregnancy receive an un-interfered
with nerve supply from the spinal column. The slightest
interference to the nerve supply could adversely affect
the mother and the developing fetus. This clinic uses very
low force techniques to adjust expecting mothers and babies.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is tragic. It causes both physical pain and emotional
suffering. This sideways bending of the spine shows up as
abnormal posture and then finally, deformity. If allowed
to advance, it can interfere with the lungs, heart and many
other vital organs.
There
is Hope!
Scoliosis
affects boys and more frequently, girls between the ages
of 8 and 18. The cause varies. Some are born with this spinal
deviation (congenital). Others get it from assuming a distorted
head or hip position (habitual). Sadly, in many cases the
cause is still unknown. In the beginning, when it is easiest
to treat, there are rarely symptoms. However, an alert parent
may notice that a high shoulder or low hip makes clothing
fit poorly. Back and leg pains may develop but are often
overlooked as merely "growing pains."
Neglect
is the biggest danger. If allowed to run its course, scoliosis
can steadily worsen. Early detection is critical. Severe
cases can involve surgery. This procedure attaches steel
rods to the spine to force it to straighten. Chiropractic
care has helped many young women avoid the unhappy effects
of scoliosis. The procedure is simple.
First,
a thorough examination helps detect scoliosis in its early
stage. Then, corrective action can begin at once. The primary
course of care is a program of specific chiropractic adjustments.
These help improve the function and structure of the spine.
Muscles strengthen. Posture can improve. Chiropractic care
has helped countless young women reclaim their health, posture
and their self-esteem.
Back
Pack Safety
A study, published in the medical journal Spine, found that
the use of backpacks during the school day - and the weights
of the backpacks - are associated with back pain. Another
study, presented during a meeting of the American College
of Sports Medicine, concluded that children hunch their
bodies forward and lower their heads to accommodate the
burden of wearing heavy backpacks.
This
news comes as no surprise to the ACA, which has educated
the public for years about backpack "ergonomics."
In fact, the ACA believes the issue is so important that
it passed a resolution urging schools across the country
to put textbooks on CD-ROM - so children won't need to lug
heavy books in their backpacks.
"This
new back pain trend among kids isn't surprising when you
consider the amounts of weight they carry in their backpacks
- often slung over one shoulder," said Dr. Scott Bautch
of the ACA's Council on Occupational Health and a noted
ergonomics expert. "Many of these kids are carrying
a quarter of their body weight over their shoulders for
a large portion of the day. That's the equivalent of a 180-pound
man carrying around a 45-pound load. "
Luckily,
backpacks have undergone a radical evolution since their
rather humble origins - with many backpacks now designed
ergonomically to reduce stress on a child's body. Years
ago traditional schoolbags, many of which were nothing more
than sacks, were the rage. But the backpack of today has
adapted to keep up with our changing lives. Kids not only
pack heavy schoolbooks into their backpacks, many of them
also strap popular electronic devices -- such as laptops,
cellular phones, MP3 players, CD players, and personal digital
assistants (PDA) -- into specially designed compartments
inside their backpacks that distribute the weight more evenly.
But
even ergonomically designed backpacks must be worn properly
and not overloaded with unnecessary items, says the ACA.
Backpacks should not weigh more than 10 percent of a child's
body weight, they should have wide, padded straps, and should
be worn over both shoulders. For more information see Backpack
Safety America
