alignment Archives - Damron Chiropractic & Wellness

6 Chiropractic Techniques

August 31, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Most people would agree that a chiropractor works with the spine. They might even say that a chiropractor manipulates the spine to get it back into the correct position. If asked how this happens, that person might say through adjustments of the vertebrae in the spine. There are actually specific techniques used depending on the diagnosis of a patient.

Subluxation is a word to describe the partial dislocation of a vertebrae. Because this dislocation irritatation and cause pain or discomfort, a chiropractor will put that vertebrae back in alignment by performing adjustments. A chiropractor will use six primary techniques.

Perhaps the most common technique is the diversified. Developed by the founder of chiropractic, Dr. David Palmer, the diversified technique uses gentle force from the doctor’s hands on the patient’s back. Typically performed on a table, relief can be immediate.

Also utilizing a table is the Thompson Drop technique. Similar to the diversified, the Thompson Drop uses less force but also incorporates the “dropping” of the table.

The gonstead technique requires a patient to be sitting or standing. The chiropractor will adjust the affected area with their hands.

One of the lowest force techniques is the Instrument Assisted. Utilizing a small, hand-held device that is spring loaded, the tightness of the spring determines the force that is used. However, it is important to note that the force is minimal.

For pregnant women and infants, chiropractors use the Webster and Logan Basic techniques. The Webster technique helps to realign the spine in mother’s pelvis area in preparation for delivery. For prenatal care and pediatrics, a chiropractor will rely upon the Logan Basic technique. Delivery can be stressful to the baby’s body causing slight misalignment in the spine. The Logan Basic technique is perfect for such delicate patients.

As you can see, there is not a one size fits all approach to chiropractic care. A chiropractor will personalize each technique to fit the patient’s unique symptoms.

Moms Deserve Wellness Checks Too

August 24, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Summer is a time for relaxation, no schedules, vacations, and poolside gatherings. It’s a time to catch up with family and friends, work on that tan, and catch up with your reading. It’s also a time to let things go. Mom’s especially are guilty of this, but not in the way you might think. There’s no letting go of keeping the kids occupied during the lazy days of summer, or staying on top of going to all the graduation parties, neighborhood barbecues, dinners with friends. Moms forget that summer is for them, too.

Now that school is back in session, it is time for moms to take inventory of themselves. After three months of putting everyone else’s needs first, the time has come for self. Fall is the perfect time for moms of all ages to also schedule back to school wellness checks. To uncover the causes of any pain or discomfort they might have been experiencing over the summer, yet postponed doing anything about it. Maybe it was that lumpy mattress on vacation that caused your back to start aching. Or the extra weight put on from those frozen margaritas and pizza parties. Or even all the time spent on getting your child ready for college over the summer that sidelined your exercise regiment.

No matter what the reason, there are a few simple steps a mom can take to help get herself feeling good and back on track.

Schedule a massage.
Visit your chiropractor to get yourself back in alignment and address any pain or discomfort.
Increase your water intake.
Get outside and walk.
Set an earlier bedtime to offset the earlier morning schedule.
Call another mom and schedule time during the week to workout together.

Every time you schedule a wellness check for your kids, schedule one for yourself too. Taking steps to relax and de-stress will have a tremendous impact on your energy levels, mood, and stamina. Even if it’s scheduling a massage once a month. Investing in bettering yourself is the best gift you can give your family.

3 Examples That Help Explain Chiropractic Care

August 8, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

What does a teacher do when the students don’t understand a concept? A common approach is to use an analogy to help explain in a way that is familiar. Foreign concepts do not disappear in adulthood, which is why analogies are a great way to help with understanding. To a vast majority, chiropractors fall under the category of a foreign concept. The care a chiropractor provides is something they have never experienced before. Plus, chiropractic doesn’t receive the press that other medical professions do.

To help build more clarity, here are 3 great ways to explain the fundamental benefits of chiropractic care:

1. Blown Electric Fuse –

Ever blow a fuse? It seems to happen at the most inconvenient times. Our first reaction is to head to the fuse box, locate the blow fuse and flip it back on. Then what happens? It usually trips again. The problem is that the need for electricity outweighs what is available causing the fuse to turn off. Similarly, our spine is like that fuse box. Daily living, plus all the extra stuff we do, can add a level of demand on our body that it simply can’t keep up with. When this happens, we experience pain, which tells us that something isn’t right with our body. That pain is being caused by a blown fuse, or a vertebrae that is out of alignment. A chiropractor works with the body through spinal adjustments to help put the vertebrae back into place, thus eliminating the pain.

2. Pinched Water Hose –

Setting up a sprinkler can be difficult sometimes. You think once it’s positioned properly and the hose is attached you just need to turn the faucet on and you’re good to go. What usually happens is the water is on but the sprinkler isn’t. The pinched hose represents our spine. Messages cannot travel to different parts of our body is there is interference, just like the water that can’t get to the sprinkler. Chiropractic adjustments help to remove the interference so signals can travel up and down the spine to different parts of the body.

3. Braces –

Anyone who has ever had braces knows how long it can take to move teeth. That perfect smile doesn’t just happen. Over a period of several months, the orthodontist slowly applies pressure to move the teeth. Likewise, a chiropractor uses the same approach with correcting a misaligned spine. It takes time for a body to reach the state of pain, so it stands to reason that it will take time to retrain the body on proper posture.

Just like anything new in life, once you have tried it, the misconceptions and misunderstanding slip away. What you are left with is the clarity that truth provides.

Chiropractic Adjustment, Not Manipulation

May 11, 2017 By Pam Rezai 2 Comments

A recent article in Chiropractic Economics (10/6/16), highlighted something that is often misunderstood in the field of chiropractic. Titled “Manipulation vs. Adjustment,” the article addressed the differences between these two words and how each relates to something different in healthcare. However, people tend to use words interchangeably, without realizing they are actually using the wrong word. For example, using the word complement instead of compliment, of affect instead of effect. We can think terminology is all the same. But that doesn’t make it correct. So, what difference does it make if a person says a chiropractor uses manipulation rather than a spinal adjustment?

The reality is that it does make a big difference for three reasons. First, using a word incorrectly with someone who knows the correct usage sends the wrong message about you. Secondly, using the wrong term leads the other person to conclude something that may not be true. How can someone make an informed decision with only half-truths? Finally, words have the power to change perspectives. Why do people distrust politicians or lawyers?

The point is manipulation and adjustment may appear to be interchangeable as it relates to chiropractic care, but they are not. Manipulation is used in physical therapy and defined as “the forceful passive movement of a joint beyond its active limit of motion.” There are reasons why a physical therapist performs manipulation on a patient. However, if a chiropractor used manipulation on a person’s spine it would not be good. Rather, a chiropractor performs spinal adjustments, which is the opposite of manipulation. The adjustment is a corrective thrust used to unlock a vertebrae that is out of alignment. It is this misalignment that is irritating a nerve, which in turn is causing the pain.

A chiropractor has one goal, to restore the body to its ideal state. One where the body functions as it should, without pain or limited range of motion. This happens with an adjustment, not manipulation.

Myth #5: Once you start seeing a chiropractor you can never stop

April 13, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Myth #5: Once you start seeing a chiropractor you can never stop.

This is the most interesting of all the myths. Perhaps because it uses the word never, like it’s some sort of consequence for choosing to see a chiropractor. It is incredibly easy to create a distorted viewpoint if you do not have all the facts. History has shown us that time and again, from thinking the world is flat to the moon being made of cheese. Likewise, the chiropractic healthcare profession has suffered from the same distortion at the hands of pervasive misinformation.

Yes, there are certain things in life you can never stop:

breathing
eating
drinking water
sleeping
paying taxes

However, chiropractic care is definitely not one of them, because here are the facts:

Many people choose to seek treatment from a chiropractor because they are in pain. Once the source of the pain is corrected, further adjustments can go one of two ways – as needed or stopping. The ultimate goal is educating the patient on how to listen to their body. By listening, they will know if their body is out of alignment and needs adjusting.
Wellness care is an option that some individuals choose from a chiropractor, rather than waiting for a problem to arise. As a result, this means periodic visits to keep their body in alignment. This is considered preventative healthcare. Still, the patient dictates when they seek out care, because it could be once a month or once a week.
A chiropractor is a person’s partner on their journey to wellness. Just as a dentist or an optometrist is.
Sometimes is takes time to correct a problem for a patient, due to the length of time they have been suffering from the ailment. This is normal. It is similar to how braces slowly move teeth. A person can wear braces for up to 2 years to get that perfect smile.

The truth is that seeing a chiropractor does not keep you going forever. Seems like chiropractic care is one of the best kept secrets out there today.

Text Neck

February 2, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

On average, the human head weighs between 10 to 12 pounds. Proper posture ensures the weight is evenly distributed at the top of the spine. With the advent of technology and mobile devices, we find ourselves with a posture epidemic. One that has shifted the alignment in such a way that has created a set of symptoms we now call “text neck.” As our head moves forward and leans down it increases the strain of the weight of our head on the rest of our body. Thus creating a domino effect of pain and discomfort as our body compensates for this change in posture.

What we may not realize is that hunching even slightly to look at our mobile device increases the strain our body must bear. For example, looking down only at a 15 degree angle increases the strain on our neck by 27 pounds. Likewise, based on the picture above, a 30 degree angle strains the neck with 40 pounds, and so on. Because we are so accustomed to this poor posture, it may be difficult to imagine what this strain feels like. To help, we give our patients a 10 pound ball to hold with their elbow resting on a table. As they move the weighted ball forward it becomes increasingly difficult to hold it. Eventually, they are unable to any longer.

The point is this, we are creating undo stress on our neck, spine, and muscles. This stress creates compression between the vertebrae which then leads to chronic neck and shoulder pain, in addition to headaches. Because of the trends in technology, many people do not even realize the cause of these symptoms. The good news is that we have the power to correct text neck with a few simple exercises and being more mindful of what we are doing.

First, pay attention to where you are holding your device. Raise it up so you are looking straight at it versus down. If you are looking at a laptop or desktop, do what you can to prevent yourself from looking down at it. Adjust the height of your chair or table. To help relieve the stain on your neck and shoulders you can also do this simple exercise of squeezing your shoulder blades together. You can also work on keeping your ears over your shoulders as much as possible throughout the day, too. Text neck is also treated by a chiropractor and massage therapist, as well. Regular visits to both will help to keep your body in alignment, improve posture, and eliminate any pain you might be experiencing.

Technology will always be a part of our world. Rather than modifying our body to suit technology, we must make technology modify to suit us. If we don’t our body will let us know with symptoms of pain and discomfort.

Standards of Care in Chiropractic

January 24, 2017 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Standard, defined as “a level of quality or attainment.” Synonyms for the word standard are quality, guideline, norm, and ideal. Our daily life involves many standards, or guidelines, of care including:

the food pyramid
an academic grading scale
recommended daily physical activity
ideal weight
adequate sleep
water intake
alcohol consumption
medical check-ups

Research helps to define the standards we live by today. For example, the surgeon general determined after conclusive research that smoking was bad for your health, specifically linked to lung cancer. Therefore, not smoking is a standard for optimal health just as 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is the standard. Having guidelines helps us to live as healthy as possible. In the field of chiropractic, there is also a standard of care, too.

One of the most popular myths about chiropractors is that you need to keep going once you start. Yet there is some truth to this myth because of the physicality of the adjustment. The doctor is training the body, much like we do when we exercise. Stopping the adjustments is similar to stopping exercising. We all know what happens when we stop working out. Our weight starts to creep up. We lose muscle mass. Our energy level declines. Chiropractic adjustments keeps our body in alignment so it can function as it is intended to. Without this type of care, daily life negatively impacts our body. Aches and pains return.

Ironically, despite knowing about guidelines and recommendations society tells us that we don’t always follow them. If we did, we would not have an obesity epidemic, smoking would cease, and every student would receive an A. Free will gives us the choice and all too often we choose poorly. The good news however is that we can choose differently which can reverse unhealthy trends.

Standards of care exist chiropractic, as well. This standard is one adjustment per week as it is meant to be proactive. Just like visiting your dentist every 6 months to prevent cavities. Visiting the chiropractor keeps the body functioning as it should rather than letting the daily wear and tear of life compromise it. And yes, that is exactly what life does. We go through each day incurring a series of micro-traumas from falling, playing a sport, working out, and poor posture. Yet a simple and painless adjustment once a week and significantly offset this.

The choice is ultimately ours to make. And while knowledge is power, it really only is when we do something with it.

Reasons to Avoid the Flu Vaccine

October 4, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

Modern conveniences typically comes with a price. Microwave ovens, for example, just do not make food as good as the oven and the use of plastics in them is concerning. Instant coffee is another modern convenience designed to give us more time. However, the price we pay is with taste. Boxed hair color is also convenient, but our hair lacks depth when we use it. Fast food restaurants come with poor nutritional content. We pay the price with added weight and other potential health issues. More recently, there has been debate over the modern convenience of the flu vaccination and the potential harmful side effects.

Receiving a flu vaccination comes with a price. However, before we go there, let’s look at why this modern convenience is so readily available. Walk into just about any pharmacy and you will undoubtedly see signs advertising that you can receive a flu shot there. Chances are there is also an added perk involved, too. Perks like a “free” flu shot, a discount to shop that day in the store after you receive your vaccination, or a voucher for some future savings.

The reality is that nothing is really free. Someone needs to pay. While it may not be you initially, you can be assured that your insurance company will be billed and the pharmacy will receive the reimbursement for that flu shot. Pharmacies also receive additional revenue if you choose to take advantage of any other discounts offered on purchases made. That’s a big win for that company!

Now, you might be thinking, “But I win, because now I am protected against getting the flu this season!” But, are you really? At best, the flu vaccination is 50% effective because no one knows which strain of the flu will arrive that year. Receiving the shot means we are also introducing a known neurotoxin into our system as well, thimerosal.

The good news is that we do not need this modern day convenience to protect ourselves from getting the flu. Our body has the built-in ability to protect through the nervous system. This is the hub that controls all the other systems in our body. If not functioning at 100%, then neither will the other systems that it controls. Regular chiropractic care keeps the nervous system functioning at 100% with spinal adjustments. These adjustments prevent the nerves along the spine from becoming irritated from daily wear and tear on our body. Irritation causes inflammation which in turn affects the adjoining vertebrae and its alignment. Compromised nerves impacts the nervous system’s ability to communicate with the other systems of our body.

Give your body the best defense you can this flu season. Arm yourself with all the benefits of chiropractic care.

Adolescence and Injuries

August 5, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

You may be familiar with this saying regarding the purchase of a new car, “the value of a new car depreciates as soon as you drive it off the lot.” While the depreciation of a car can be somewhat excessive, this philosophy also relates to other areas of life as well. For example, clothing, appliances, food, and shoes. The same can also be applied to the human body, too, for as we age we are never as new as the moment we are born.

With the passing of each year and the countless milestones we reach comes the guarantee of wear and tear on our body. It could be cuts, bruises, scars, or broken bones. If we stop to think about the cumulative effect of daily living since the moment of our birth until now, we can probably say with absolute certainty that our body is very much like the Timex watch, “it takes a licking but keeps on ticking.”

Now what about our adolescence? Think about the sports played during this time of life. Football, basketball, lacrosse, rugby, volleyball, wrestling, hockey. Many of these sports require excessive physical contact. The impact on a young person’s body is significant. Yet time and again, our kids bounce back up and jump back in the game. Now let’s add carrying that backpack every day. What about the use of technology and the impact on the neck? It may be safe to say that during adolescence we put our bodies through the wringer.

It’s important to remember the cumulative effect of these types of injuries and lifestyle. It has been documented that headaches are actually caused primarily by tight muscles in the neck, shoulders and even the jaw. The fascia is the very thin tissue that encloses the muscle. This fibrous tissue is also tight as well. Over time, the injuries sustained in our adolescence further weakens our fascia, as does the process of aging. But it is the injuries themselves the increases the weakness factor.

To protect our youth from experiencing chronic pain, arthritis, or joint pain a proactive approach is essential. Regular visits to a chiropractor can help your child’s body stay in alignment, reducing inflammation from irritated nerves. Incorporating therapeutic massage helps as well. Focusing on the tight muscles and fascia that can typically be found in the neck, shoulders, and upper back area. A little preventative maintenance now will help offset the injuries an adolescent body sustains, even when they are unaware their body has been hurt. Much like seeing a dentist regularly to prevent cavities and to ensure a healthy smile as we age, the same is true of chiropractic care. A little will go a long way to ensuring our kids can truly enjoy their golden years pain-free.

Beware the Weekend Warrior

July 28, 2016 By Pam Rezai Leave a Comment

No one needs to convince you that we live in a society that is fast paced. Each day we rush from one thing to the next. Add a couple of kids to the mix and the speed at which we live tends to get amplified. It’s not that we actually like it this way, in fact we may outright hate it. Yet, we continue to live it.

Inevitably there comes a time where we stop to think about our personal health. It might be because we decide to get in better shape or lose weight. Then an opportunity presents itself that we don’t want to pass up. We think it’s a way to help us achieve our goal. It could be a work softball team that plays on the weekends, a family canoe outing, bike riding with the kids, or running a 5k with a friend. Some may call this the weekend warrior. You know, someone who decides to do that one thing over the weekend that they typically don’t do nor is their body prepared for. More often than not, weekend warrior is synonymous with injury.

We know the importance of proper training, stretching before a work out, even stretching after the physical activity. Yet, do we really take advantage of this knowledge? If we did, we would undoubtedly save ourselves the pain of an injury. Somehow, we think we are unstoppable. The key is recognizing that we need to make time for ourselves every day. We need to make our physical health a priority and schedule exercise along with everything else that we schedule. If we don’t, we run the risk of injuries such as:

Ankle sprains
Knee pain
Shoulder pain
Tennis elbow or Golfer’s elbow
Plantar fascitis

The good news is that if we find ourselves suffering from weekend warrior syndrome then a visit to the chiropractor can help tremendously. Whether it’s a sprained ankle sustained while hiking, knee pain from a pick up game of basketball, or shoulder pain from painting your new dining room walls. Chiropractic adjustments put the body back in alignment, which minimizes the impact our weekend warrior mentality can have on us. While a chiropractor cannot stop the weekend warrior, he/she can get them out of pain and back in the saddle once again.

6 Chiropractic Techniques

Moms Deserve Wellness Checks Too

3 Examples That Help Explain Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic Adjustment, Not Manipulation

Myth #5: Once you start seeing a chiropractor you can never stop

Text Neck

Standards of Care in Chiropractic

Reasons to Avoid the Flu Vaccine

Adolescence and Injuries

Beware the Weekend Warrior

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