Archive for chiropractor
As a Chiropractor, I know that you may be wondering if chiropractic adjustments are safe during pregnancy. Well, the answer is “Most definitely!” In fact, it’s a very smart idea to get adjusted while you are pregnant.
You’ve probably noticed that your body is going through quite a few changes, and these alterations will continue as your pregnancy progresses. One change that goes basically unnoticed is your body’s increased production of the hormone elastin. This hormone is designed to relax the tendons in your pelvis. This relaxation allows your pelvis more flexibility during the birthing process to make delivering your baby easier.
This process, though wonderful in assisting during labor, can produce much discomfort in the months leading up to the birth. As your pregnancy advances, more elastin is released, which allows your pelvis to become increasingly more unstable. Add to that the gradual increase in the size of your baby and uterus, and you have the recipe for severe low back pain. As a Chiropractor who treats many different musculoskeletal challenges, I find that many pregnant women come into my office for symptoms associated with their pregnancy but, as a rule, the main complaint is low back pain.
One side benefit of having your spine and pelvis checked by a chiropractor regularly during your pregnancy is that there is proof that it can actually decrease labor time. Why? Simply put, if your pelvis is aligned properly, the muscles contracting during the labor process are more efficient because they don’t have to fight past misaligned joints.
chiropractic adjustments are not only safe and beneficial in relieving the low back pain associated with pregnancy, but other symptoms like heartburn, nausea, swelling, and so on. And, if needed, a well-trained chiropractor can also help with a breached baby. This is done by using the Webster Technique, a low force technique to manipulate the uterus and get the baby into the proper position for delivery. (A simple Google search on the Webster Technique can give you much more information.)
If you are pregnant, you can feel confident in seeing your chiropractor. And, of course, I’d be more than happy to assist you. Chiropractic care can not only make you a lot more comfortable in the months of your pregnancy, but it can make your labor process easier as well!
I understand as a Chiropractor treating those suffering from sciatic pain, that sciatica can be an extremely incapacitating condition. Those who suffer from sciatica are regrettably all too familiar with the kind of deep pain that often radiates through the lower part of their body, accompanies their waking hours each day and interferes with almost all of their daily activities.
Could your low back pain be generated by sciatica? If your pain radiates from your low back, through one or both sides of your buttocks, down the large sciatic nerve in the back of one or both legs, and possibly radiates into your knee(s), you are more than likely suffering from sciatica. Also, sitting, as well as movement, can be painful. Commonly lying down will lessen, or occasionally even temporarily get rid of the pain. However, it’s important for you to be aware that sciatica cannot be corrected without appropriate treatment.
Radiculopathy
One of the clinical diagnoses of sciatica is referred to as a “radiculopathy”, a medical term that means simply that a disc has protruded from its natural position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve. Such pressure can cause excruciating pain.
Prolonged sitting, particularly in an improper position, can produce imbalances in the muscles enclosing the spine and added pressure on the intervertebral discs. A specific event or injury isn’t generally the cause of sciatica, but rather sciatica tends to develop over time as a consequence of ordinary wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. After a while the lower spine can lose its normal functioning capabilities during ordinary stresses.
Ultimately, the intervertebral disc incurs small fissures or cracks, which then permit the soft nucleus to protrude the disc outward. Pain is created as the disc pushes on sensitive tissues. This occurrence is often referred to as a ruptured, or slipped, disc. Sciatica is the result of the disc pressing on the spinal nerve. Fortunately, most disc conditions, including sciatica, can be completely relieved with chiropractic adjustments and therapy that usually includes postural exercises.
Periformis Syndrome
Periformis syndrome is another condition that results in sciatic pain. Periformis syndrome happens when the periformis muscle, for any reason, goes into spasm and irritates the sciatic nerve, which runs “deep to the muscle.” Along with chiropractic adjustments, this particular sciatica can be significantly relieved by sciatica stretches that your chiropractor can recommend.
It is essential for you to see your chiropractor for treatment if you are experiencing sciatic pain. I invite you to call my Office. I look forward to helping you to get out of pain and get your life back!
Your Camarillo Chiropractor Explains How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Your Hip Pain
Posted by: | CommentsI have a few questions to ask regarding your hip pain: Do you feel pain in one or both hips whenever you twist them or when you cross your legs? Does the pain keep you awake at night and make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep? When you get out of bed in the morning, or when you get out of your car, are you stiff and do you find it hard, at first, to move your legs? If you answered in the affirmative to any or all of these questions, it is likely that you have imbalances and alignment problems in the lower part of your body that in addition to creating hip pain can, over time, bring about degenerative hip joint disease if not treated.
Even though hip pain and related problems are often signs of age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the “culprit.” In fact, rather than being the original cause of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the ultimate result of damage to your hips at a previous time.
Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can generate hip pain. Furthermore, your gait may shift to counterbalance new body demands such as a job change, an alteration in the way you sit, a new sport or activity, or if you start driving for long periods of time on a regular basis..
In addition, gait asymmetries can occur from leg length dissimilarities, foot pronation (walking like a duck), even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. The point is, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are in motion can cause painful hip problems.
As a Chiropractor, I can help in many of these areas. Along with your adjustments, as part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, I may suggest that you wear orthotics. I will also offer appropriate progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.
Hip pain won’t disappear on its own. Hip pain indicates that something needs to be corrected. Get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now! Call our Office today. I know what to do to help you!
As Your Camarillo Chiropractor, I Can Help to Take the Pain Out of Growing Older!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re over forty you know that as we age our body feels and acts differently than it used to when we were younger. It just doesn’t seem fair that as our mind appears to improve and become more “inventive,” our body seems to become less “cooperative.” We’re stiff in the morning; certain activities during the day make us sore at night; and, if we’re not truly careful, even something as simple as turning too fast or bending over to pick up a dropped object, can send our back or some other muscle group into spasm. The good news is that there are specialized techniques accessible with chiropractic that are not only beneficial in slowing down the aging process of the body, but can help you to avoid some of those problems completely. In fact, you could say that as your Chiropractor, I can help to take the pain out of growing older!
Take arthritis for instance. In point of fact, with the exception of pharmaceuticals, allopathic medicine doesn’t take care of this age-related affliction. What is the basis for such a limited approach? Most medical professionals merely treat the symptoms of arthritis. Chiropractic care, on the other hand, is not only beneficial in relieving the pain of arthritis, without drugs and their side dangerous effects, but your chiropractor is an expert in finding the origin of the condition and eliminates it. Chiropractors, like me, have been helping people suffering from pain caused by arthritis and other age-related challenges, for over a hundred years.
Repetitive stresses, years of incorrect gait and improper posture, and lack of beneficial movement over time cause wear on various joints and create the arthritic changes the body goes through as you get older. Chiropractic adjustments restore motion back into your joints and relieve any vertebral misalignments that may be causing irritation and restriction. In addition to causing arthritic changes in the spine and increasing pain, did you know that misaligned vertebra can also reduce your resistance and immunity? It’s true, and this might be one of the reasons why it may seem to you that as you age you experience more health problems and that it frequently takes longer for you to feel better again. Studies have shown that older individuals who are under chiropractic care stay healthier. To put it another way, as you get older, chiropractic treatment is good for what ails you!
Chiropractors are experts when it comes to the health of the musculoskeletal system, from the small, growing frame of an infant to the full-grown body of a mature adult. As your San Diego Chiropractor, I am experienced in working with the aging process of the body and have excellent observational and diagnostic skills that help in locating spinal misalignments and joint degeneration. In fact, a chiropractic examination can frequently reveal certain age-related changes before they’ve begun to create noticeable pain. Furthermore, I will assess your posture and check your gait to determine if there are any faulty patterns that might cause more arthritic changes in the future if not corrected.
So, if you have been feeling your age lately (but you’d like to feel a whole lot better than that!), make at appointment to see me, today!
Chiropractors like me are committed to making sure our patients know the importance of drinking enough water everyday. The chant in our clinic is “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” Water is as essential as air when it comes to human survival. Therefore, one would suppose that drinking a sufficient quantity of water would be as visceral as breathing in enough air, but a surprising 75 percent of Americans suffer from mild, incessant dehydration. (Most individuals aren’t breathing enough either, but one issue at a time.) You cannot have good health without drinking an adequate amount of water. Every system in your body — every cell, tissue, and organ — is dependent up water to function properly. Your saliva, and the fluids surrounding your joints, are essentially water. Water balances the temperature and metabolism of the body, and keeps the blood circulating. Drinking plenty of water daily has been shown to improve nutrient absorption and toxin removal, and to reduce heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, headaches, and even back pain.
Athletes are particularly at risk when it comes to functional challenges caused by dehydration. “Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are,” said Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services. According to researchers at Indiana State University, a high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts. In fact, Pre-season physical examinations, in fact, found that 80 percent of football players presented with.
Wondering how much water is enough water? Chiropractors, like almost all health care professionals, advise no less than eight, 8-ounce glasses of water every day for many patients, but for our patients who are athletes, or for individuals who carry around excess weight or exercise or work in a hot environment, we propose even more. How can you be sure if you, personally, are drinking an adequate amount of water? The color of your urine is a good gauge. If it is a light, pale yellow, it’s an indication that you’re well-hydrated!
I invite you to call our office. I feel confidant that we can answer many of your health concerns.
So, you’ve never played tennis in your life, but you’ve come down with a seriously painful case of “tennis elbow.” How in the world did that happen? As your Chiropractor, I want you to know that the condition is actually “epicondylits,” or more specifically “lateral epicondyle,” the medical term for the painful irritation of the tendons of one or more forearm muscles where they attach to the bony projection near the lateral epicondyleis (elbow joint). But, let’s face it, “tennis elbow” is much easier to say and far easier to remember! And, as you’ve probably surmised, this painful challenge is not just produced by playing tennis. In fact, any activity that requires repetitive gripping of something can produce pain in the elbow; for example activities like knitting, chopping food, and computer use. Additionally, toting heavy bags improperly or using bad posture while performing any of the aforementioned activities puts excessive stress on the elbow.
But, your elbow pain may not actually have anything to do with your elbow, itself, just as it has nothing to do with whether or not you play tennis. How can that be the case? Sometimes elbow pain can be the result of a problem farther up the arm or even in the neck. A vertebral subluxation or a disc protrusion in the neck commonly will affect the nerves that give function to the forearm muscles and cause them to become irritated. The irritation in most cases causes the muscles to tighten and this tension causes undue pressure on the tendon attachment(s). In this case, elbow problems are the result as opposed to the cause of your elbow pain.
Epicondylitis, like nearly all muscoloskeletal problems, usually doesn’t go away on its own. On the contrary, due to the fact that the body is so successful at compensating for dysfunctions, if the challenge is left untreated, difficulties such as additional subluxations and an increase in degenerative changes that cause arthritis can occur.
When analyzing and treating musculoskeletal dysfunctions are required, including those that produce elbow pain, s chiropractor is an expert. As your Chiropractor, I will be able to uncover the actual cause of your challenge and treat it at its source.
So, you don’t need to suffer with “tennis elbow” whether you actually play tennis or not. Not only will chiropractic treatment be able to eliminate your elbow pain now, but I will advise you on how you can avoid pain in the future no matter what your activities may include. Call our Chiropractic office today!
Your Camarillo Chiropractor Warns: Low Back Pain is Nothing to Sneeze At!
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re experiencing low back pain, your Chiropractor wants you to know that you’re not alone. Low back pain affects many people, an amazing 80% in fact, making it second only to the common cold in its frequency. However, contrary to the common cold, waiting for your back pain to “run its course,” and taking prescription or over-the-counter remedies while you wait, is not the answer. The majority of back pain won’t go away by itself. More often than not, if your pain lessens, it is usually due to the fact that your body has compensated for the problem and, unfortunately, is generating new conditions. Obviously, low back pain is nothing to sneeze at! If you’d like to eliminate your back pain for good (and who wouldn’t?), it is important for you to see a back pain expert, like your Chiropractor.
Back pain is often a mystery to most people who are suffering from it, and chiropractors are skilled in solving their confusion. Most individuals ask: “Why is it that I have not experienced any trauma, accidents, or major injuries before the onset of my pain?” The answer is that the cumulative effects of awkward sitting posture, bad work habits, improper lifting, lack of routine exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related factors create most back pain.
These elements add up over time and produce stresses and imbalances on the spine causing subluxations that can turn into serious back conditions. The process is similar to the front end of your car being out of alignment. When you insist upon driving anyway, there is irregular wear and tear on your tires. If you didn’t get the problem fixed, the situation would worsen until a tire “blew.” When the spine is misaligned, the function of the spine is put at risk. In other words, it’s not only a problem waiting to happen, it’s a problem waiting to get worse. And then, something as seemingly benign as reaching down to pick up a piece of paper can be the “final factor” that generates back injury. When this occurs, the surrounding back muscles go into spasm in order to stabilize the stressed or injured tissues of the back.
Chiropractors have more education, training, and experience than medical doctors when it comes to knowledge and treatment of the spine. They offer state-of-the-art diagnosis and experienced treatment for all musculoskeletal abnormalities. They not only provide welcomed relief if you are suffering from back pain, but they are knowledgeable about what will assist you in avoiding further back pain. As an adjunct to effective adjustments and other productive chiropractic therapies, your Chiropractor will give you an individual exercise plan and recommend other healthy lifestyle changes that will keep you well-adjusted and pain-free in the future.
Your Camarillo Chiropractor Can Help Relieve Your Tension Headaches and Migraines
Posted by: | CommentsDo you frequently suffer from tension headaches or migraines? If so, then you are painfully aware of their incapacitating impact on your life. chiropractic treatment can help. Your chiropractor understands the differences between the causes of tension headaches and migraines and she is an expert at treating both.
Tension headaches: Like it or not, life can be a pain, now and then, and result in a tension headache. Many people have suffered from more than one, and maybe you are one of them. If you are someone who’s had a tension headache, then you probably experience it as a dull, aching head pain that is sometimes accompanied by a sensation of tightness or pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head. Occasionally, you might feel a tenderness of your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles, and at times you may experience a loss of appetite.
Tension headaches are generally characterized as mild to moderately intense. The severity of the pain varies from one individual to another, and from one headache to another in the same person. Tension headaches can happen occasionally or you may have them regularly. Your headaches are considered chronic if they occur fifteen or more days a month for at least three months. If tension headaches are disrupting your life, chiropractic care may be the solution.
Migraine Headaches: Migraine headaches differ from the average tension-related headache. For example, migraines more often than not occur on only one side of the head, according to the National Headache Foundation. They throb or pulsate and are accompanied by nausea or vomiting. Auras, visual disruptions an hour before a migraine attack, and symptoms such as pulsating light, lines or dots, are experienced by one-fifth of migraine sufferers.
Migraines have an upsetting, debilitating effect on a sufferers life. If you suffer from migraines, then unfortunately you already know from experience that, more often than not, standard over-the-counter medications are ineffective, and prescription drugs generally have alarming side effects. Yet, the pain of a migraine can incapacitate you for hours, days, even a lifetime. It’s time to finally get rid of the pain and get your life back! Chiropractic treatment has been shown to be highly beneficial in relieving and eliminating migraine headaches.
If you suffer from tension headaches and/or migraines, make an appointment today with your Chiropractor today. Chiropractic treatment can help!
Camarillo Chiropractor Offers Hope for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Suffers
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are someone who suffers from fibromyalgia, you don’t need anyone to tell you the difficult symptoms of the condition. Your chiropractor is well-aware of the painful symptoms that can occur above and below your waist, and involve large areas on both sides of your body, and understands the deep aching that accompanies the condition and often travels, shoots, stings, and even gnaws at your body.
As if the intense pain and suffering from fibromyalgia weren’t enough, an amazing ninety percent of fibromyalgia sufferers also experience chronic fatigue syndrome. Perhaps you may be one of them. It is this “double whammy” that can result in your not only suffering from pain and fatigue, but also malaise, headaches, numbness and pins and needles, dizziness, sleep disturbance, swollen feeling in tissues, stiffness, sensitivity to noise and stress, and cognitive impairment.
If you are suffering from one, or both, of these two debilitating conditions, you may find it difficult to take part in even the simplest activities in life, and you might even be feeling depressed and defeated. But, don’t give up hope because your Chiropractor can assist you. Chiropractic techniques have been proven to be highly effective in reversing trauma-induced injuries by reducing irritation to the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord that can cause pain, neuromuscular dysfunction, and fatigue.
What do “trauma-induced injuries” have to do with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? The connection may surprise you. While the specific cause of these problems is not known, current research has pointed to traumatic neck injuries, such as whiplash and concussion, as risk factors for the onset of both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. And, here’s the thing: though the pain and fatigue generated by spinal injuries can begin immediately, in many cases it can take quite a long time, perhaps months or even years to develop. By the time fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms arise, such injuries may be long-forgotten.
Chiropractic care has been shown to be extraordinarily beneficial in reversing trauma-induced spinal injury. See your chiropractor today to find out if chiropractic management can help to decrease the pain and suffering you’ve been experiencing from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Your chiropractor understands and can help!
Chiropractic techniques that work so dramatically with the spine can, of course, be adapted to other joints in the body. Your Chiropractor knows that as a consequence of trauma, excess vibration, or repetitive motions, virtually every joint is exposed to debilitation and range of motion limitations. So, it’s no surprise that chiropractic treatments are an effective, natural, non-invasive approach to treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The carpal tunnel can be found within the underside of the wrist. It is a tunnel, or passage, through which the Median nerve advances on its way to stimulate and animate the hand and fingers. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome falls into the category of nerve entrapment disorders and is clearly the most common. As the name indicates, the condition takes place when a nerve is impinged or trapped between other tissues of the body producing inflammation of the nerve. This can happen if the size of the tendon increases due to irritation or overuse, or if the tunnel, itself, gets smaller due to the misalignment of the carpal bones.
In the beginning of the injury, the symptoms include pain, numbness, pins and needles, and tingling in the fingers and hand, especially the thumb and adjacent two fingers. People with CTS often awaken from sleep with these symptoms and shakeout and/or rub their hands in order to decrease the unpleasant feeling. Activity during the day can cause the hands to feel clumsy or weak, and fatigue easily. Eventually, grasping small objects with the thumb and fingers can be extremely affected and, without treatment, can result in a complete debilitation of the hand.
In order to diminish the disabling symptoms resulting from the advancement of CTS, correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment are vital. If you are experiencing the pain and disability associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, it just makes good sense for you to try the most natural approach first. As mentioned above, chiropractic care is drug-free, non-surgical, and highly effective. You can learn more about safe and natural chiropractic care, and what it can do for you, by calling your chiropractor today.
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